Justice League Daemonites: DCAU Series Part 22
by Loki's Son
Summary: Thousands of years ago, two warring factions crash landed on Earth. And throughout the ages past they secretly continued their conflict. Now that conflict draws to an end on Earth. And the League of Shadows must decide whether to endorse Talia al Ghul as the Demon's Head, as she feels they already have, or choose another.
1. Chapter 1

15

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League properties. DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Time-Warner does. I do not make any profits by writing these stories. They are intended solely to be read by the audience for entertainment purposes as allowed by** Time-Warner.

* * *

Four businessmen and their security retinue fled through the alleys and back warrens of Los Angeles. Every so often a sizzling jolt of energy could be heard followed by a strangled cry. Then two more shots would follow afterwards. The security detail had already lost half its number but they'd finally reached the destination, the unknown assailant's knowledge of it be damned.

One businessman after subjected themselves to retina scans but none would unlock the hidden door. Meanwhile the last of the security detail fell. And like the others, a phantom being made of neural energy emerged from the human host. It solidified into a reptilian shape but Earth's atmosphere was caustic to its soft under skin beneath the scales and smoke began to waft in the breeze as the Daemonite burned.

Two more polaron shots killed the alien creature. Desperately the men retrieved the security detail's discarded weapons. They'd been soldiers once upon a time. They would die as such at long last.

"Ahem," a woman with a startling head of pixie cut platinum white hair approached them wearing armor and little else. She bristled with weapons including two swords crossed behind her back.

"Zealot," the leading infected businessman sneered, "Last of the Coda."

"Are you the last out of skill or cowardice?" another Daemonite infected host asked.

Polaron headshot skilled the humans and then the Daemonites that emerged from the bodies. Zealot had her weapon trained on the intruder who made the kills, "Cole Cash. I'm surprised to see you hear, Grifter."

"We're making our move, Zealot," Grifter advised her, "We're killing the entire infection."

"Interesting," Zealot allowed.

"And we're killing Lord Daemonite for sure this time," Grifter promised her.

" _Very_ interesting," Zealot concluded, "Help me kill this voles' nest and we can discuss it afterwards."

"Any key for the lock?" Grifter asked.

Zealot wore a wolfish smile as she pulled a fluid filled vial out of a utility pouch. It contained one human eye, "This should do nicely. I have this one alive back at my current base. So they haven't bothered to pull him from the registry yet."

Grifter had seen a lot of horrific things as part of Team 7 and now with the Daemonite Hunters Underground. But Zealot's smile was among the first to ever scare him. The Kherabim truly was an alien despite her beautiful human looks she'd been born into.

* * *

In the resort town of Caracas, Carmen Curon counted the minutes as Dean Higgins used her body to sate his lusts. He ejaculated four minutes after penetration right on schedule. The blowjob lasted half as long. She inwardly smiled to herself that soon he'd be prematurely ejaculating and she wouldn't have to be violated at all.

Then she saw _him_. An armored avenging angel with only a left eye. Regulus paid her a king's ransom for her time and body…and her discretion…but that didn't mean she'd die for him. While Regulus lay naked, sweaty, tired, and spent…but deeply satisfied…Carmen counted dollars in her head as Deathstroke tossed Higgins's wallet at her and spoke in fluent Spanish.

"Just go," was all he said.

Regulus' eyes snapped open to see Deathstroke's pistol aimed at his forehead. Higgins tried to swat the gun out of Slade Wilson's hand but Deathstroke stood just out of reach. But still close enough to pistol whip Regulus.

He miserably spotted Carmen scooping up her clothes in one deft move and exit the hotel room still stark naked. Deathstroke chuckled, "Girl's had practice."

"Cartel bosses are her usual trade," Regulus grudgingly revealed, "If you're going to kill me, Slade, I prefer you just get it over with."

"If I was going to kill you, Dean, you'd never have known I was here," Deathstroke holstered his pistol, "I've got a team contacting Bronski. Cole's already in. I thought you might want to share in the opportunity as well."

"Opportunity for what?" Regulus was still wary.

"To kill John Lynch," Deathstroke simply stated.

Regulus was _very_ attentive afterwards.

* * *

In an Outer Mongolian District within China, Apollo and Midnighter approached the unobtrusive yurt. Four naked women scattered out of it as Majestic emerged wearing a simple loincloth, "You two need to work on your approach."

Apollo knew his husband was akin to Batman in his stealth capabilities so he blamed himself, "Grifter has an offer for you."

"I have an answer," Majestic snorted, "It's 'no'."

Midnighter bounced a bullet off of Majestic's head. Apollo gave him a chiding look and Midnighter shrugged, "What? You never know until you try."

"Grifter and others with him will end the Daemonite threat on Earth," Apollo declared.

"Cole can't even solve his own problems much less humanity's," Majestic thought it all sounded far too ludicrous to be real.

"And he wants you to help punch Lynch's ticket," Midnighter revealed.

" _Now_ I'll listen," Majestic changed his mind.

* * *

Rose Wilson-Worth was in San Francisco visiting her girlfriend. And it was a glorious town for two young women in love. Rose had recently come out to her father as bisexual and that she was dating Beryl Hutchinson, who identified as genderfluid. Slade disapproved of Beryl and wasn't very welcoming of Rose's revelation but he knew his efforts to modify her identity in any way would be met with heavy resistance. And he might lose his only surviving child.

Beryl drove them back to the Teen Titans compound on her motorcycle while Rose rode bitch on the back, happily holding tight to her lover. Neither of them could imagine a better ending to the day, or at least until they reached Beryl's bedroom.

Inside Titans Compound, they ran into Red Hood fully garbed and armed, "You've got company."

Rose hated the thought of who it could be. But instead of one of her father's Titans, it was two of his longstanding associates. Angelica's facial scarring marred an otherwise model-like beauty and her dead eye had to be one of main attractions for Slade. That and she was a vicious, sadistic bitch.

Red Fury was as geared up as Red Hood. Rose knew she was secretly a woman that played a masculine role as Red Fury to throw opponents off the scent of who she really was. This was either of their first times meeting Beryl. Angelica instantly approved. Rose could tell by Red Fury's body language that she didn't.

"I'll be nearby if I'm needed," Red Hood told the couple.

"Rose, you're needed," Angelica's Russian accent thickened after Red Hood departed. It was her sign of anxiety.

"You're coming with us," Red Fury was all brazen confidence though.

"Mind giving me a reason before I tell you where to shove it?" Rose was irked.

"The Halo Corporation is funding a venture against the Daemonites as well as John Lynch who has become an associate of theirs," Angelica explained, "We've gathered Stormwatch, Grifter's Daemonite Hunters Underground, Lord Emp's WildCATS, and other operators like Red Fury and myself. Given your past with Lynch, your father thought you'd want to be a part of this."

"Just because Lynch arranged for my mother's death, Grant's death, and Jericho's death? Why would I want to be involved?" Rose was flippantly trying to mask her pain, "And it's _our_ history at NOWHERE. I'll come if Beryl comes with me."

"Of course I'll come with you anytime," Beryl saw the two adults caught the double entendre, "In at least sixty-nine ways."

"I think we need to gear up, _Red Robin_ ," Rose smirked.

"But of course, _Ravager_ ," Beryl agreed. As they went for the staircase, Beryl softly said, "And I expect to see some serious ravaging done."

Red Hood watched them ascend the stairs before approaching Red Fury and Angelica, "I expect to see them back."

"Or what?" Red Fury coldly asked.

"There won't be a _what_. They _will_ come back or it's on your head," Red Hood warned them.

"They're taking too long," Red Fury deemed, "I'll get them."

"You take another step and I'll go all League of Assassins on your ass," Red Hood warned her.

"So it's true," Angelica whispered to herself.

Ravager and Red Robin returned hand in hand. Ravager studied everyone, "What's wrong with you people?"

"Take care of everyone," Red Robin implored Red Hood.

"You know I will," Red Hood promised, "Call if you need help."

"I think we'll be a little out of touch for a while," Angelica smirked while Red Fury communicated with a third party.

"Where, precisely, are we going?" Red Robin inquired.

"The dark side of the Moon," Angelica told her as a portal opened up, "All you need to do is step through that."

Red Robin and Ravager fearlessly did so. Red Hood reminded the two guests of his warning, "Moon or no Moon. They don't come back and there isn't anywhere in the universe that will be safe for you."

"We'll see, won't we?" Red Fury sneered before vanishing.

"We'll bring them back," Angelica pledged before she stepped though the portal and Jenny Quantum collapsed it.

* * *

Red Robin was amazed by the view in the Observation Deck where Jenny Quantum deposited them. Angelica smiled at Ravager, "Some people have been waiting to see you."

Red Fury went off in a huff and Red Robin wondered if the woman, because she knew a woman impersonating a man by personal experience, had any other mode. Cinder and Tattooed Man were the first to arrive. Cinder warmly embraced Ravager.

"It's good to see you again, _Chiara_ ," Cinder promised her.

"The view is…incredible," Ravager was at a loss.

"True, _Rosa_ , but it pales next to your love's beauty," Cinder pointedly stared at Red Robin.

"Cinder, Tattooed Man, this is Red Robin," Ravager made the obligatory introductions.

"So formal," Cinder chided her.

"Beryl to my friends," Red Robin willingly offered.

"If Rose has chosen than I accept her choice," Cinder said gallantly.

"Treat our girl right, missy. Or we'll have another kind of conversation," Tattooed Man warned her.

"I'm actually at quite a loss here," Red Robin admitted, "How do you all know about me?"

" _Rosa_ can't stop talking about the wondrous woman she's fallen in love with," Cinder smiled while Ravager blushed.

"Actually, Rose has been smitten with you ever since you met at NOWHERE," Gunslinger said as she approached, "I'm called Gunslinger but you can just make it Pat."

"Smitten, eh?" Red Robin was enjoying this.

"We knew she carried a torch for someone after her release but it wasn't until you two were reunited against Vandal Savage that we learned just who and how hard Rose had fallen for," Gunslinger shared.

"So you told everyone _except_ your father," Red Robin smirked.

"Would you tell him?" Ravager wondered.

"Well, you worked up the courage to eventually, love," Red Robin kissed her rather chastely on the lips. But it was a promise for more intimacy later on.

Arsenal and Cheshire slowly arrived to view the meet `n greet underway. They stayed distant, having just dropped their daughter Lian off at the facility's pre-school. That and the couple managed to avoid Rose or her father on most occasions.

Deathstroke chose that moment to enter and surge through the crowd. He stood opposite Red Robin simply studying her. After he'd reached a decision, he removed his helmet.

As Ravager had warned Beryl, Slade Wilson was no longer silver haired despite a few wisps of the color at his temples. And the goatee had been joined by a mustache. If Slade Wilson had been terrifyingly intimidating in his sixties, restored to his prime, he was like discovering a hungry wolf in bed next to you.

"Hello, Beryl," Slade offered her his hand.

Red Robin gripped it firmly and met his eye. Deathstroke wore a wintry smile, "Be good to my daughter or I'll kill you."

"You're always welcome to try," Red Robin's confidence never wavered.

Slade's smile was genuine after that, "Weatherman wants to start the briefing now that everyone has arrived."

* * *

Ravager and Red Robin were led to the largest miniature amphitheater either of them had seen. With a few of the solar system as a backdrop. Now Red Robin's knees felt a little wobbly. Ravager grinned.

"You hold up against my father but a bunch of stars makes you weak kneed?" she asked.

"I'll tell you what else makes me weak kneed," Red Robin recovered, "Being with you."

"Flatterer," Ravager laughed.

"Only the truth, m'love," Red Robin promised, "Always."

"If we can find our seats?" the imposing Weatherman took the podium.

Introductions were made so Ravager and Red Robin learned Weatherman led this installation and a group of operatives known as Stormwatch. Those operatives included Apollo, Midnighter, both of whom were obviously a couple; Jenny Quantum, Jack Hawksmoor, and the Projectionist.

Red Robin had just met most of Deathstroke's Titans but a few others in the room hadn't. That team included Deathstroke himself, Ravager, Gunslinger, Cinder, Tattooed Man, Arsenal, and Cheshire. Red Robin took mental notes on the former Speedy.

A man named Grifter was the informal leader of a group calling itself the Daemonites Hunters Underground. He'd only brought two women with him. One called Voodoo and another named Sofia Cordon.

The strangest bunch was called the WildCATS. Made of aliens and half-aliens, they were led by a dwarf calling himself Lord Emp. Then there were Spartan, TAO, Maul, Warblade, and Void.

The longest list belonged to the unaffiliated. Zealot was hands down the most impressive woman Red Robin had ever seen outside of Rose. She herself was counted amongst this group. Angelica and Red Fury were named. An elderly man called I-Ching acknowledged his name being called. A rugged man called Deathblow looked every bit the soldier of fortune that he was. A younger woman resembling Zealot was called Kenesha the Savant. And finally Majestic and Regulus answered to no one but themselves.

Weatherman explained how the Kherabim and Daemonites first came to Earth six thousand years ago. The Daemonites came to exploit humanity and the Kherabim, who closely resembled humans, chose to defend them. But they'd become trapped on Earth and the Kherabim, who were extremely long lived, near immortal, had slowly been killed off one by one. Only Lord Emp and Zealot survived of the original landing. Kenesha was the only pure blood Kherabim born on Earth, and despite looking only ten years younger than her mother, Kenesha was thousands of years younger than Zealot.

Human/Kherabim hybrids had been born through the ages. With unearthly abilities but human lifespans, people like Maul and Warblade frequently fought on the front lines. The artificial life forms such as Spartan and TAO had been created to supplement Kherabim forces. And then there were those that had been possessed by Kherabim artifacts such as the human Void.

Red Robin learned that John Lynch had once experimented on the soldiers of an elite unit known as Team 7. Deathstroke, Grifter, Majestic, Regulus, and Black Canary were the only survivors from having their gen factor activated. And everyone except Black Canary was here to avenge themselves upon Lynch. Red Robin couldn't blame them.

Then came the announcement Lord Emp had pitted the entire economic clout of the Halo Corporation into this venture. Win or lose, his empire would be bankrupt afterwards.

Deathstroke would have participated on his own but the Titans wanted reimbursement so Lord Emp was providing it. Deathblow was another that fought only for cash. Angelica took the money like Slade, but also would have fought for free having dealt with Lynch in the past. He was the reasons for her scars and blinded eye along with the amazing recuperative powers she now possessed.

I-Ching and Red Fury had joined up solely for ideological reasons to defend the human race from an alien invader that was gaining an ever wider foothold. Stormwatch was fulfilling its sacred vow to the Shadow Cabinet to defend Earth from mystical and extraterrestrial threats. The Kherabim had forbade Stormwatch from intervening in hundreds of years past. But now the last of them saw reason.

* * *

Nyssa Raatko had assembled her Injusticer squads at a country estate in Wales. Nyssa was elated by the fact that Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, had joined Nyssa's quest. And Dinah had agreed to Nyssa's projected role for her.

But it cost the Injustice League one member. White Canary refused to serve beside Black Canary much less take orders from her. White Canary's only goal now was to kill every surviving Team 7 member. Nyssa wished her well against the likes of Deathstroke, Majestic, Regulus, or even Grifter. Nyssa simply let her go because it was easier to see the knife coming at you rather then from beside you.

Merlyn was another matter altogether. Most of the Injusticers still harbored resentment that Merlyn had betrayed them to the Legion of Super Villains as they worked with the Legion of Doom in a push to reshape the world. Only his son, Dark Archer, still gave him unquestioning loyalty. Even his frequent collaborator, Syonide, harbored doubts and refused to turn her back to him.

Nyssa's contacts within the League of Assassins informed her that the newly reconstituted Task Force X had recently captured Speedy and the new Green Arrow. But, using means unknown to either the Leagues of Assassins or Shadows, Amanda Waller had determined Mia Deardon and Conner Hawke's innocence and reinstated them to the Justice League of America. But Waller had been ordered to pit the Suicide Squad up against the Injusticers. Nyssa wished them luck as long as it didn't interfere with her timetable.

Time had lost all meaning to the Black Marvels in Purgatory. Each moment in Hell was an eternity of damnation, never ending and without the slightest relief. Only the Black Marvels' sponsors kept them from the ravages of hellfire and isolation. Pandora received an equal measure of succor from the curse given her by the Lords of Order and the Council of Wizards eons ago.

* * *

In the weeks that had passed on Earth, the Black Marvels had traversed the realm known as the Labyrinth. Pandora stood at the walled gates of yet another hellish kingdom, "Now it seems we've reached Purgatory. Here is where Satanus and Blaze hold court and here is where they'll hold Shazam."

"After all of this, I am uncertain as to whether or not I still wish to liberate the meddling wizard," Black Adam grumbled.

"We need to," Isis implored her husband, "Our son, Osiris, is depending upon us to free him from his Marvel curse. Otherwise the Lords of Order are committed to killing him."

"Very well, wife. I will rescue the fiend. But he will know it was I, Black Adam, who held his life in my hand," he declared.

"If we're done posturing, can we proceed now?" Pandora dryly asked.

"You may lead us," Black Adam sniffed.

"Why should now be any different?" Pandora wondered.

Black Mary snickered. The first sign of mirth to escape her since their arrival in Hell. Black Adam, on the other hand, was tempted to test the limits of Pandora's vaunted immortality.

* * *

With the United Nations' Manhattan complex destroyed by the Burners, the administrative functions had moved to the Dome facility in Paris. It had lain dormant since the breakup of the Justice League International. It was here, in Dr. Mist's former offices, that the UN Secretary General met with Superman and Barda.

"You have to understand," the Secretary General pleaded with the JLers, "No matter what happens if you strike, the Ayatollah will blame me for it. Because I'm Pakistani, a woman, and adhere to the third school of Islam. Both Sunnis and Shiites would declare me a heretic for doing so."

"You're a Sufi," Superman realized, "A Muslim mystic."

"My own family has pledged to undertake an honor killing of me to salvage their disgrace at having a woman in authority stem from their bosom," the Secretary General explained.

"But now more than followers of the Taliban will seek your death," Barda predicted, "The zealots in Iran will want you to suffer before you die a horrible, languishing death."

"Then they shouldn't have built and used underground uranium enrichment centrifuges to create weapons grade plutonium or actually constructed portable bombs they now intend to smuggle into Israel and level every major city except Jerusalem." the Secretary General angrily retorted, "I despise nuclear weapons and would forcibly rid the planet of them if I could. But I can't and that's why we have diplomacy. But this time diplomacy failed and inspectors were lied to. They must be dealt with. Bloodlessly if possible."

"If the Justice League Unlimited undertakes the mission, it will be bloodless," Superman promised her, "And the JLU _will_ embark on the mission."

"I hope this doesn't seem to infringe on the Justice League's autonomy within the United Nations," the Secretary General wished.

"Not at all. These types of situations are why we wanted to ally ourselves with the UN once again and act with impunity with international authority on our side," Superman proclaimed.

"Then may Allah grant you speed and secrecy," she hoped.

After Superman and Barda used a boom tube to return to JLU headquarters, the Secretary General threw back her head and enjoyed a triumphant laugh, "Those witless fools."

* * *

Amanda Waller had brought Sue and Ralph Dibney into the Task Force X loop after Plastic Man exited the Justice League of America, taking Penny and Hula Hula with him to the JLU. The JLA was down an agent, a pilot, and a Deputy Chief of Operations. This was on top of Power Girl's disappearance, Black Canary's defection to the Injusticers, and Katana demanding to be reassigned to the Suicide Squad as Colonel Rick Flagg's personal bodyguard.

In Waller's estimation, the only good news over the course of the last few weeks was that every Marvel had gone AWOL and the younger Flash was on Apokolips playing footsies. Waller had designated priority options for the JLA, Freedom Fighters, and the Suicide Squad. The JLA was ARGUS' public face. The American super team.

The Freedom Fighters were the covert action team that supported the JLA when needed. Task Force X got the worst assignments, the ones that would grind through a body count. But they also required agents that were willing to give as good as they got. And as a team composed of super villains, they were all expendable and plausibly deniable.

Task Force X's resurrection disturbed Sue on a fundamental level. Her rape at the hands of the original Dr. Light had only recently been revealed. That Dr. Light's current whereabouts were still unknown. Waller could care less as long as the bastard was rotting in hell on Earth or the afterlife.

The Justice League of America was the country's forefront meta-human response to a crisis. The Freedom Fighters were saved for missions requiring a touch more aggression. They'd fought a total war in World War II. The Freedom Fighters were best at being pointed and unleashed. Questions weren't their strong suit.

Waller dismissed the Dibneys after the daily briefing concluded. Gwen Cormaugh was due to present Task Force X's daily brief. Meanwhile, Sue served as the JLA's Chief of Operations and Ralph as the Chief of Investigations. Waller knew they were both too invested in this Justice League to walk away now.

The Conglomerate had become media darlings. Unlike the Justice Leagues or vigilantes like Batman who destroyed entire editing rooms and archives because intrepid reporters like Summer Gleason captured footage of him in action. The JLA had a press corps but the JLers themselves were banned from making statements. The JLU, since being reunited with the UN, relied on the United Nations to handle the press.

At first, Strange Visitor and Matrix, now rechristened Supergirl, had dominated the questions. But now the rest of the Conglomerate was being courted as well. Having six members leave for the JLU had shaken things up but the Conglomerate continued to prove itself in the field so public opinion was unaltered and they continued to love the Conglomerate.

But behind the glitz of the press conferences and public appearances, the Conglomerate was hard at work tracking down Ambush Bug and Disco Mummy. Other than a visual Red Tornado had gotten of her, Disco Mummy was a complete and utter mystery. But her latest capers had brought her in direct conflict with the Conglomerate's sponsors. The Conglomerate had thwarted most of the thefts but a few had succeeded. And Disco Mummy seemed to be growing desperate to achieve whatever goal she'd set for herself.

* * *

Above a carnival fun house in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Harley Quinn burst into Poison Ivy's apartment, "Ya gotta help me, Red. I got some real bad news a few minutes ago."

"You're pregnant," Ivy replied nonchalantly.

Harley froze, "How'd ya know? I hadda use a pee stick ta find out."

"You've been reeking of animal hormones that mammal's exude when they're pregnant," Ivy said disdainfully.

"Are ya sayin' I stink?" Harley got cross.

"Of course not. But your hormonal cues are indicative of pregnancy," Ivy's clinical manner was irritating the crap out of Harley.

"Look! We gotta do somethin'!" Harley began panicking.

"No," Ivy was still relentlessly rational, "You need to decide if you'll terminate the fetus or live birth the child. Afterwards, it comes down to do you keep her, it, or them?"

"No thems!" Harley screeched.

"Look, I'll back you all the way whatever you decide. But if you keep it it'll be pretty hilarious since neither of us has a clue on how to raise a human being much less a hamster," Ivy chuckled.

"I can't kill it," Harley had already decided that.

"Then you have seven months to figure out the rest, since you seemed to have taken two to discover this state of being. Who knows? If you keep her, maybe I'll even give a damn about her," Ivy brightened.

"What if it's a him?" Harley was crestfallen.

"Even you couldn't screw up that badly," Ivy promised her.

* * *

The Hall of Doom had relocated to the northern mountains of India. Luthor caught Grodd alone, "So, when are you inevitably betraying me to Saturn Queen?"

"Lex, you wound me?" Grodd feigned being contrite.

"Spare me. You've actually displayed heartfelt loyalty far longer than I ever assumed you would. It's your nature to finally go for my throat. And Saturn Queen can provide a persuasive argument to," Luthor reasoned it out, "But I advise you to kill me outright or I will end you. I'd suggest blindsiding me but I think you haven't found the means and the mechanism yet so that's why you delay."

"You'd be surprised, Lex," Grodd chuckled knowing Luthor didn't know Saturn Queen had located Lex's sister, Lena Luthor.

* * *

"We must liberate Master Thomas," Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-3 demanded. On Earth Prime he was simply referred to as "the Other". And his audience was hardly receptive.

"Dear Alfred, Owlman can escape from any prison, or so you've boasted. You have Brother Eye and its OMACs to assist you along with the fleeting members of the Crime Syndicate that escaped incarceration. Free him yourself," Saturn Queen replied indifferently.

"But if you would but lend me Ultraman…" the Other began to argue.

"No," her icy demeanor put a chill in the room, "I'm not squandering Kal-L's strength until it's been properly fortified."

"Master Thomas will be informed of your ill advised resistance to cooperate," the Other stormed out of the room.

That room had formerly been General Sam Lane's oversight center watching the Meta-Human Response Division's command center underneath Fort Siegel. The military had returned to reclaim the base but thanks to Saturn Queen's powers of telepathy and hypnosis the entire division was blithely unaware of what was beneath them or that the Secret Society of Super Villains coexisted with them. The Society even dwelt in the newest furnished living quarters while the soldiers barracked in the oldest portions of the base.

"I'm certain Owlman will be delighted to hear what I had to say," Eve Aries gloated to herself. She mentally summoned her captain. Libra had led a dozen successful missions to loot and plunder across the globe…and shifted the blame to the slumbering Legion of Doom.

Citizens and governments worldwide were clamoring for a crackdown on the Legion. One Saturn Queen fully intended to exploit. But Libra chose that moment to report.

She handed him a collection of dossiers, "Luthor has recruited more minions."

"Nazis?" Libra was incredulous, "How desperate is he?"

"More to the point, these are real Nazis. Not the Skinhead or Neo-Nazi fantasizer versions. Many of them survived and thrived after World War II," Saturn Queen explained, "And now Luthor has snared their allegiance much the way we snared Axis America's."

"They have an Axis Amerika as well," Libra noted.

"But be mindful of the spelling alteration. That group is a far cry from our erstwhile Nazis," Saturn Queen sounded delighted.

The she handed him another thick file, "This explains Intergang's increasing strife."

Libra began leafing through it, "Boss Moxie is dead? Gun Moll Flanders did the deed and took over? Who the hell is the Gang?"

"The true masterminds behind this purging of Intergang's ranks," Saturn Queen relished the treachery.

"I'll take your word for it," Libra gathered his files to study elsewhere.

"Wise man," Saturn Queen telepathically alerted Ultraman she would see him now.

* * *

Most of the 100 had been killed by upstart members of the 1000. Intergang was shaken but seemed to thrive under the new management. Gun Moll had killed Spats Thompson and Tommy Shingles alongside Boss Moxie. Only Numbers Malone remained out of the original regenerated gang from the Twenties. And the Gang managed them.

Brains, Ms. Mesmer, Kong, and Bulldozer had turned Intergang loose on itself. And the strongest thrived. Brains had enlisted the remaining members of the Black Seven to kill Morgan Edge, Boss Moxie's hidden partner. A woman named Angelica Blaze turned out to be Edge's heir.

So Galaxy Broadcasting continued unabated with no hiccups. But Dragonfly, Silken Spider, Tiger Moth, and Black Beetle were installed as special corporate officers and security agents. And they answered only to the majority shareholder, Angelica Blaze.

Gun Moll knew she couldn't lead Intergang on her own. But propped up by the Gang, Gun Moll could follow their directions and guide the 100 and the 1000 beneath them back into an era of loyalty and devotion. And the money flowed in as never before.


	2. Chapter 2

12

"As you know, the annual G20 gathering of leaders from the top twenty economic powers hides meetings between the most influential Daemonite hosts. What Grifter has discovered is that afterwards, Lord Daemonite visits, seemingly at random, six of those leaders to obtain a personal report of their activities. This report is regarding the master invasion plan and to deliver new orders as determined by Lord Daemonite himself," Weatherman announced, "A secondary concern is whether or not that Daemonite assigned to that host will continue in it or be passed over in lieu of another. We have in our possession the locations of those six meetings but not the names and identities of the host bodies. Our opportunity is simple. We can now neutralize each host and kill Lord Daemonite himself. Without whom, the Daemonites will fall upon one another in a mad scramble for power and be easy prey for those like us."

"The tricky parts being we don't know who the hosts are or Lord Daemonite's schedule for confronting his subordinates," Grifter added.

"But we know the six hosts have cleared their public calendars for a forty-eight hour period following the summit. And they will all depart from their official residences to head to secluded locations. And all of those locations are secret. Our opportunity is that the transits may be scheduling illusions. None of the parties have sent out or dispatched advance security to prep a site. But their personal security details have been augmented with military assets. And each host's defensive parties will respond to a lethal strike with comparable force and intent," Projectionist outlined.

"The G20 summit ends tomorrow evening. That opens the forty-eight hour window in which Lord Daemonite will approach the suspected hosts," Weatherman declared, "Our next agenda is to select teams to interdict the targets if they should change locations or move in to kill them and create an ambush for the Daemonite's master if they remain ensconced in their official residences."

"Since vast and unknown distances are involved, I'll be staying at headquarters to create quantum tunnels between here on the Moon and various Earth-bound locations," Jenny Quantum announced.

"And I'll remain as well to monitor global tracking and security," the technopathic Projectionist added, "And I'll be disrupting government interventions on your behalf."

"I suggest we mix our forces in order to blend less experienced elements with the more seasoned ones," Deathstroke spoke up.

"Excellent suggestion," Weatherman agreed.

"I hate to burst any bubbles but the WildCATS just don't mix with nobody," Lord Emp argued.

"We'll form core elements built around a specific team and then blend from therein," Weatherman amended the proposal in hopes of quieting down discontent before the mission had even begun.

"Then we're golden," Lord Emp backed down.

"The secondary objective of eliminating John Lynch will be made easier by the confusion and destruction surrounding the Daemonite ranks," Weatherman predicted, "Projectionist will be able to track his digital footprint and run him to ground so he, and his Daemonite derived meta-gene manipulative abilities, can be dealt with."

"I applauded your strategy," I-Ching admitted, "But I would recommend we outsource to a third party for a feint against a known Daemonite stronghold to precede our own strikes. I recommend the Spanish Inquisitor and the Dead Bastards for the task. They are capable and will ask only the questions required to complete their task."

"You'll be our contact and supervise them?" Weatherman inquired.

"Of course," I-Ching bowed.

"You can use Halo finances to hire and retain these 'Dead Bastards'," Lord Emp offered, "I just sold the company so my personal fortune is liquidated. Means everyone gets paid in advance before we make our moves. Assume the role of my personal representative. The Daemonites will be expecting that."

"As you say," I-Ching bowed again.

Deathstroke knew the "venerable old man" guise was an illusion. The process I-Ching had utilized to rejuvenate Slade's youth had been first tested on I-Ching himself. And I-Ching had the wisdom to destroy every evidence of the process or how to repeat it save the knowledge in his own head.

* * *

The Iranians had hollowed out caves in the Golestan Mountains and mined underground passages to place their centrifuges and weapons assembly centers. West of the Turkmenistan border and south of Bailya, the Iranians had quietly and fervently developed and constructed twenty-nine "suitcase" bombs. Given the size constraints they'd only been able to construct atom bombs for immediate usage against Israel. But the developers planned to have hydrogen bombs of comparable size for the planned strikes against the United States.

The Crimson Queen had learned of the secret of the Golestan installation. She'd even sent her elite Crimson Jihad to scout it out. But rather than risk overt war with a numerically superior nuclear armed state, the Crimson Queen instead handed over concrete evidence of the Iranians' malfeasance to the United Nations. And the UN in turn would deploy the Crimson Queen's frequent foes, the Justice League Unlimited, against her aggressive Persian neighbor. She could only hope the pair would destroy one another.

* * *

The JLU had discovered its distinct loss with the absence of the Flash. But Wally West could only follow the dictates of his heart and follow Vreti back to Apokolips to wage her war against Darkseid. At Shayera Hol's behest, the JLU courted Jesse Quick and Hourman. The elder Flash, Jay Garrick, agreed with Jesse that losing one speedster to the JLU left the JSA All Stars equipped with another veteran Fastest Man Alive. So the couple moved out of the K-Star Ranch and found a house in the Metropolis suburbs as they switched teams.

Superman's charisma coupled with Barda's disciplinary ways carried the JLU into the Golestan facility. J'onn Jonzz, the Martian Manhunter, had infiltrated the base ahead of his teammates and deactivated the security system. And then he stayed with it in order to insure so no one could reactivate it.

Most of the JLers were tasked with dealing with security patrols. Jesse, Hourman, Fire, and Ice rounded up the technical staffers. Blue Beetle, the resident technical expert, shut the entire base down. The resident Green Lantern, John Stewart, broke the centrifuges free of their housings and transported them to the surface along with the twenty-nine suitcase bombs. There, Barda opened a boom tube and sent him to the rendezvous point in the French countryside.

Everyone else was herded outside before Superman, Captain Atom, Fire, Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Barda's mega-wand brought the caverns down upon the secret facility. The Republican Guard began arriving in response to the mayday the guards had managed to get out as Barda provided an exit.

* * *

Andrew Lincoln, the newly designated leader of Blackhawk Express, grimaced as John delivered the confiscated nuclear material to the Blackhawks, "Couldn't you folks have gotten there _before_ they developed working portable atomic weapons?"

The Blackhawks were the United Nations entity tasked with apprehending illegal technology. The fact the JLU had been assigned this particular mission obviously set off a pissing contest. The original modern Blackhawks looked apologetic. But the eye patch wearing, newly dubbed "Lady Blackhawk" seemed ready to rip John's head off and crap down his open throat.

But the Blackhawks were once again a primarily militant force and the Secretary General had ostensibly wanted to preserve lives in order to diffuse the inevitable outrage. Lincoln was terse with John as the Blackhawks began loading up the captured equipment and weapons of mass destruction, "Some folks argue that ring of yours is illegal tech too. And that members of your organization should be classified as illegal aliens."

John bristled. His wife, Shayera, was Thanagarian but through a legal sleight of hand, she was a citizen of the Justice League Unlimited. A fully fledged, voting member of the United Nations. Max Lord had stepped forward to act as their ambassador once again. Max was involved with the JLU, the JLA, the Conglomerate and God only knew who else.

"It's good to see prejudice hasn't died yet," John stated before lifting off and streaking across the horizon to head towards the Connecticut coastline leaving Lincoln suffering from tech envy.

* * *

Nyssa and Black Canary arrived at County Cork, Ireland to take their place at a lodge where a fate deciding conference was about to be held. The heads of the Leagues of Assassins and Shadows had gathered to determine the viability of Talia al Ghul's leadership.

Nyssa herself had previously held the posts of Chieftain of the League of Assassins and as the Demon's Hand at Talia's side. No one else there knew Talia's mind was gone and replaced by their father, Ra's al Ghul. Nyssa was charting a course correction for the ancient orders to return to their time honored practices of meting out justice and condemnation to corrupt civilizations rather than pursue ecological balance.

There were five elders from the League of Shadows. One for every continent but Antarctica and Australia. Australia was governed by the Asian prefect. The prefects, by dominion, were Damian Darhk for North America, Henri Ducard for Europe, Zun Ziyi for Asia, Hidalgo Reyes for South America, and Boris Brezhnev for Africa. Darhk was Ra's Al Ghul's greatest rival and a conjuring mystic. Brezhnev had received the prefecture of Africa for betraying Darhk's confidences to Ra's.

Three of the greatest assassins represented their league. Lady Shiva was considered the very best of them. Ben Turner, or the Bronze Tiger, was second only to her. Whisper A'Daire had earned a form of immortality from Ra's and was the mistress of poison and potions.

Two neutral parties were in attendance. Richard Dragon had been the undisputed master of the martial arts and Ra's al Ghul's conscience until Lady Shiva and Bronze Tiger betrayed him and crippled him. But his students and agents still acted as the conscience of the world abroad.

Odysseus was a meta-human obsessed with expanding his power base and securing immortality. Charles Wilson had served the CIA for decades before he went rogue. In the end, he'd turned to John Lynch to activate his meta-gene the way he had Charles' son, Slade. Odysseus had been Lynch's instrument to kill his former daughter-in-law and his two grandchildren by her. Now he knew about Slade's love-child, Rose, and Odysseus was _very_ anxious to meet his granddaughter. His freedom had been Charles' price for attending this conference.

Several other potential interested parties declined the invitation. I-Ching was foremost among them. Lynch was another. The mysterious Mother was the third and Katherine Webb-Kane, Director of Spyral, rounded out the list.

Nyssa called the meeting to order. Predictably, Darhk was the first to balk, "Why should you chair? You're not even a member of either League anymore."

"But my Injusticers are the purest form of the Leagues' goals. Despite the mercenary motives of most of my agents, we punish corruption and raze its nests," Nyssa explained, "You, all of you, have allowed my father to corrupt the Leagues' sacred purpose to his twisted ambition. Of course, his aberration grew over the last few hundred years before it became his mad obsession. An obsession Talia has taken up for her own."

Black Canary kept her silence despite her being Nyssa's sole confidante on true fate of her half-sister and her father. Or perhaps it was because of it. But Nyssa continued onward.

"Many of you are prescient in the fact of great personal danger if your attendance here is discovered by my sister," Nyssa acknowledged, "But your fears are misguided. Surely you recall the paths of allegiance and absolute obedience you swore to Ra's al Ghul as the Demon's Head? And surely you remember never having sworn a single oath in the same vein to her."

Dawning awareness struck face after face as Nyssa revealed Ra's hubris. He'd been so concerned with establishing Talia as his heir apparent; he'd assumed the oaths of allegiance due him naturally continued even though he wore a new body and new identity.

"I'll be blunt for simplicity sake," Nyssa promised, "Talia must be removed as Demon's Head."

"And who would replace her?" Darhk sneered, "You, perhaps?"

"I have no desire to rule the Leagues. My Injusticers are enough for me," Nyssa promised, "But beside me sits one worthy of the title and the courage to pursue our ancient purpose. I present to you Dinah Laurel Drake Lance better known to most as the Black Canary."

"Of course you'd choose your deviant lover," Darhk tried to insinuate.

"I don't recall you referring to her a deviant when she and Oliver Queen chased you out of Seattle," Nyssa gloated.

"Still, she is an outsider," Brezhnev complained, "I would rather throw my support towards a known quantity like Darhk."

Zun and Reyes quickly echoed the Russian. Henri Ducard held his counsel and the assassins were rather circumspect. But when Brezhnev began to announce Darhk's victory, Lady Shiva intervened, "Nyssa Raatko was the finest Chieftain of the League of Assassins I ever served under. Possibly even better than Ra's al Ghul himself. I know the legends surrounding the Black Canary and Team 7. So do you all. I gladly pledge my support and fealty to her."

"So will I," Bronze Tiger pledged.

"Black Canary's independence is as renowned as her fighting acumen," Whisper added, "So I throw my support at her as well."

"Which leaves us at a veritable tie," Ducard stated.

"I vote for myself," Darhk snapped, "Only you can throw it back into a tie, Ducard."

"And you must abstain when the vote concerns your fate," Brezhnev growled, "Decide, Henri. Who do you choose?"

"Damien just made my choice. I side with Black Canary," Ducard announced.

Darhk's penetrating scowl promised vengeance upon all who failed him and those that embarrassed him. The very traits that lost him the campaign. Two hundred years ago, the League of Shadows had sundered and each faction had taken assassins with it. Ra's persuaded Darhk to reunite the League. If Darhk chose to break the League of Shadows once again, no words of appeasement from Black Canary would ever satisfy him.

"I solemnly pledge that if Talia is unseated, the League of Shadows will once again become the conscience of the world as well as the sharp sword of justice," Black Canary vowed, "But we have to be careful. Talia is a force to herself, more so since Ra's al Ghul died. And those members of Leviathan that came to the League of Assassins after the Heretic's downfall see her as a goddess to worship ad die for."

"So let them," Darhk sneered, "After all, killing dupes is what we do."

"Your role for now is to distance the apparatus that makes up the League of Shadows away from Talia and prepare them for a change in leadership," Black Canary strategized, "Lady Shiva, you and the others carry great weight amongst the assassins. Remind them all of what their role was and could be again."

"Could you really endorse the death of a civilization?" Darhk tried one last barb.

"Before I joined the Justice League I was a soldier. And as a soldier my missions weren't to capture and rehabilitate my enemy. My enemies were targets to be destroyed at any cost to the enemy and the collateral damage surrounding that person or persons. Killing a civilization is remote and painless. Killing face to face takes dedication. And I've proven my dedication on more occasions than you, Darhk. Look the fact up and compare body counts," Black Canary challenged him.

Darhk saw Nyssa's hand in that gambit. Ducard interrupted before Darhk could riposte, "Unlike Talia, you don't seek to kill seven billion people all at once while saving a meager few thousand hand selected 'survivors'."

"Body counts aren't the concern. The effectiveness of the count is," Black Canary qualified, "I've lost friends and lovers because of ineffective half measures. I say no more."

"Restraint is a quality sought in he or she that would lead the League of Shadows," Ducard approved of Dinah's sentiment.

"But not too much," Zun clarified.

Richard Dragon struggled to rise to his feet. Even with two leg braces he still required a cane, "Odysseus and I were obviously to act as outside witnesses and advisors. We all know my own twisted history with the Leagues of Assassins and Ra's al Ghul. This effort to undo Ra's legacy of madness couldn't have come any sooner nor could it have waited any longer. I think you're taking a bold new step into being what this world needs. A surgeon to cut away the dead flesh."

Charles Wilson was sin his nineties but seemed to be thirty years younger. Much like his son thanks to I-Ching, "I'm not one for causes anymore. The young lady seems competent enough and dedicated to her cause. Just make certain all of you share that cause."

"So we are decided," Brezhnev announced, "The League of Shadows will move on without Talia al Ghul."

"She's to be left alive and in permanent exile," Black Canary decided, "Talia's vanity will prevent from trying to retake the throne of an organization that rejected her. She and her Ubus can scratch out a living amongst the very people she wants to destroy."

"A fitting choice," Reyes approved.

"Damian," Ducard murmured.

"I can agree to those terms," Darhk conceded.

"Now that everything has been decided, what's the _real_ reason Odysseus and I are here?" Dragon sharply inquired.

* * *

"At least people here can get out of Hell," Black Mary said hopefully.

"What makes you think that?" Pandora scoffed.

"I went to a Catholic girl's school when I was younger. Purgatory is a place of trials to burn away sins and wrongs of the past," Mary recited from rote, "Then they go to Heaven."

"Burn for wrongs of the past, yes," Pandora corrected her, "Go to Heaven? Hardly. Blaze and Satanus led the trapped souls here in rebellion against the master of the realm. They then supposedly 'released' them. But condemned souls are always condemned. During life is the only time redemption can be had. Once you're dead your fate is fixed."

"So…where did all of those people go?" Mary was hesitant to ask.

"Other realms inside Hell itself," Pandora argued, "But Satanus and Blaze would insist they'd kept their word. They had freed the tormented from their realm at least."

"Enough of your lies!" Black Adam roared, "How can you know any of this?"

"Try being blamed for bringing evil into the world, spend the next twelve thousand years learning the nature of that evil and where it leads, and then get back to me," Pandora grated.

"Filthy lies, all of it," Black Adam held Isis close.

"Fine, we're going on a detour then," Pandora set off in a new direction, "Try and keep up."

"Where are we going to?" Isis fretted.

"Don't worry this won't take long. But it's the proof you all need to realize the truth," Pandora replied.

* * *

An endless chasm stretched between the realms of Purgatory and Paradise. Mary gaped, "Is that…Heaven?"

"No, the Bible refers to it as Paradise. It's an intermediary heaven where the redeemed are with God but not in the final Heaven," Pandora explained, "Here souls await the resurrection and the final judgment before the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth."

Pandora see there were still questions, "In the Christian Bible in the book of Luke, chapter 16 and verses 19 through 31, Jesus tells a story. Unlike his parables and his allegories, he uses proper names for this one because He is recounting a true tale, not a metaphorical lesson."

"What is this tale?" Black Adam warily asked.

"There was a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. They died around the same time. The rich man was condemned to be here, within eyesight of Paradise. And feeling the flames all around him, he spotted the beggar in Paradise and he cried to him. The Patriarch, Abraham, asked the rich man what the commotion was about. The rich pleaded that Lazarus come to him and dip his finger his mouth to ease the parchedness caused by the flames," Pandora made certain everyone was intently listening, "Abraham replied that the rich man had earned what he deserved just as Lazarus had. The final plea was for Lazarus to go back to Earth and warn the man's brothers what awaited them if they didn't repent and serve God."

"And?" Isis almost desperately asked.

"Abraham had to tell him the brothers had the Law and Moses. What else did they need to point the truth out to them?" Pandora finished the tale but not the lesson, "The condemned rich man was obviously near this spot yet he didn't expect to ever escape Hell. He was resigned to his fate. He only craved a moment's respite from his suffering. No one here actually expects an escape. But the offer of one has to be irresistible. Satanus and Blaze are obviously masterful manipulators to blatantly abuse such a false hope."

"None of these people see or react to us, why?" Mary interrupted.

"They are in abject isolation, alone in their pain and regret. I'd say the regrets outweigh even the flames of the fire's torment," Pandora spoke from experience.

"So they're all suffering?" Mary weakly asked, "Even Blackhawk?"

"Yes, they get to live constantly reviewing their mistakes, the foolish and selfish choices, and all in an utter separation from God. Because a just God cannot abide to be near criminals without unleashing his wrath upon them for being rebellious in the first place. That's the human condition," Pandora shared, "But Christ, the personification of God in the flesh, became the target for God's wrath so that by His grace those chosen for salvation by God could have the crimes atoned for and begin a relationship with God Himself and fulfill mankind's ultimate destiny."

"Which is?" Black Adam was already angry.

"To serve, worship, and glorify God," Pandora happily told him.

"Why would any god choose to die like this Christ supposedly did?" Black Adam seethed.

"To rise from the grave to defeat death, sin, and the evil one known as Satan," Pandora said simply, "Or in other words to glorify His own name for being so benevolent."

"You are wasting our time here," Black Adam railed against her.

"Perhaps it seems so now but in your five thousand year lifespan, have you ever had or heard a better and purer truth?" Pandora quietly inquired.

Black Adam lapsed into a sullen silence for the rest of the trek.

* * *

Nyssa's Welsh lair lay in between the Cambrian Mountains and Aberystwyth alongside the Ystwyth River. But it was built nearer the foothills than other manors in the area. It made approaching the eastern lying mountains more difficult. Especially since Nyssa had an air defense missile system installed after she purchased the estate. MARS Industries had donated the equipment and ordnance in exchange for certain…considerations in Nyssa's targeting.

MARS expected the arrangement to continue when the Leagues of Shadows and Assassins were well and truly under heel. MARS was a subsidiary of the Cavalry Group. Other subsidiaries included the Pearl Agency, Corvus Oil, and Axis Chemicals. All of who were major sponsors of the Conglomerate super team.

David Cain had been briefed by Nyssa as to Cavalry's paradigm and bent for treachery. The Cavalry Group essentially held the tenet that nation-states were outdated in lieu of multinational corporations who acted as governments themselves. And competition kept the strong stronger and the weak absorbed by the victor.

Many companies now operated on global scale. Nations were vulnerable to the weight of politics, natural disasters, wars, famine, invasions, and pestilence. Multi-nationals were laws unto themselves only vulnerable to their bottom line. And while nations were assembling superhuman teams so too were corporations assembling groups of meta-humans. How else could the Conglomerate and LexCorp's Everyman Project be explained?

But Cain and the other Injusticers weren't preparing for Cavalry's direct intervention. Instead they were readying themselves for the Suicide Squad's assault. Nyssa had uncovered a physical and electronic document trail directly linking the President of the United States' policies to Cavalry and other multi-nationals. He'd publicly announced his meetings with "publically minded corporate executives" but no transcripts of the meeting were ever made available. Nyssa had them and threatened to give them to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks if POTUS didn't sever ties with certain benefactors.

Checkmate had been shut down and Task Force X had been reorganized along with a new official mandate for the time-lost Freedom Fighters. Given the recent construction of the Justice League of America and independently, the Conglomerate, it seemed Cavalry's reach went beyond the Presidency into covert operations and law enforcement.

The Conglomerate's corporate allegiance was its public image and its usefulness as an independent agency would undoubtedly be tested by their corporate masters. The JLA, the Freedom Fighters, and the Suicide Squad served the American government under ARGUS' super agency banner. And in turn Amanda Waller and ARGUS answered to the sitting President. And that President had been bought, body and soul, by Cavalry and other interested parties…including LexCorp and Wayne-Powers Enterprises.

Nyssa had met the conditions of her agreement with MARS. But her discreet message to the President had alarmed those she threatened to expose. Cavalry and LexCorp alongside Max Lord's Innovative Concepts were pioneering corporate funding of United Nation's agencies in exchange for policy concessions. Everyone knew Max was a player but Mercy Graves was proving to be his counterpart.

* * *

The Injusticers set up a circular, concentric defense. It was broken into three zones and forward and rearward areas culminating at the centerpiece which comprised of the manor house. The Injustice Rogues monitored the mountain approach. The Injustice Titans defended the woodlands between the Yswyth and the Rheidol Rivers. The open meadows stretching out before the manor were patrolled by the Injustice League.

The Wrath manned the semi-automated defenses. Cain monitored the area and advised the field commanders over closed circuit radio. Enigma led her Titans with confidence and staggered hr defense like a seasoned veteran. Blacksmith was too busy vying for dominance with Scandal Savage to take much note of how her people were positioned to respond to an incursion. Major Disaster had been chosen to lead the Injustice League in Cain's absence.

Major Disaster wasn't comfortable in his new role but he'd earned the respect of Killer Frost owing to his dedication and humane treatment of Big Sir. Most "super villains" would have preyed upon the man-child and openly exploited him. But Major Disaster generally sacrificed his advantages to tend and care for Big Sir. He guided the naïf in a parental fashion. And that fashion gave Killer Frost hope for the male gender.

* * *

The eastern air defenses locked and targeted two helicopters before engaging them with missile fire. Scandal was quick to suggested, "We need to get up there and investigate."

"We need to maintain our post and defend the manor," Blacksmith curtly snapped.

"Why not do both?" Scandal slyly offered, "Send Magenta up with Girder and Blue Jay as their scout. They can conduct reconnaissance and report back to us if help is needed."

Blacksmith had never hated someone so much before. But the idea held merit. And Scandal's Lamentation Blades would skewer her before she could convert the woman to organic steel and enslave her. At which point, the former Female Fury, Knockout, would rip her head off anyway.

Blacksmith issued Scandal's orders but reinterpreted them as her own innovation. Blue Jay warily watched the pissing contest, "Be careful here, Laura."

"I'll watch your back, Jay," Silver Sorceress promised.

Magenta utilized her magnetic powers to lift and carry the iron skinned Girder. Blue Jay shrank to bird's size and flew ahead. Silver Sorceress had a quiet word with Scandal.

"You'd best know what you sent them into," she advised.

"You'd best hope they're competent enough to properly respond to the situation," Scandal countered.


	3. Chapter 3

18

New Wave led the other Masters of Disaster out of the wreckage that had once been a helicopter. The cockpit was torn, mangled, and in flames from the missile strike. The pilots had been killed instantly. The unit squad leader had been aboard the other helo that had also been shot down. If Warrant were dead then the Masters had a chance of escaping without the Israeli operative activating the nanite bombs in all of their necks.

That helicopter had been filled with recent recruits to Task Force X. A figure of insanity called Merrymaker and his Joker obsessed disciples known as the League of Smiles. The League had been composed of mental patients named Philip Miles, Annie McCloud, David "Happy" Hill, and Rodney the Torch. The devotees of the missing Joker had seen him as a figure of inspiration rather than terror.

New Wave began assessing her team. Heatstroke was rattled but relatively unharmed. Shakedown seemed unfazed by recent events. Dust Devil had superficial cuts across his face and head. Mudslide bore contusions across most of his body from being near the cockpit when it exploded. Cold Snap seemed to be in thermal shock.

"Ger Cold Snap near a stable fire," New Wave ordered, "His powers are out of control and eating him alive."

Heatstroke had recovered a first aid pack from the wreckage and was treating Dust Devil and Mudslide. She noticed New Wave standing nearby, "Sit down, Becky. You're next."

"Why?" New Wave was confused.

"Because of that," Heatstroke pointed out the shard of metal impaled in New Wave's side, "If you turn into water I can easily pull it out but I'll have to cauterize the wound when you revert to being flesh."

"You make it sound so easy," New Wave said ruefully.

"Hey, I'm absolutely shitting myself here," Heatstroke confessed, "But we do what needs to be done, right?"

They followed Heatstroke's plan but New Wave screamed when her "surgeon" inserted a superheated finger into her side. Heatstroke obviously regretted that, "Just rest for a minute."

She went back to tending Dust Devil and Mudslide's wounds. It seemed Dust Devil was more seriously injured than he'd let on. Warrant joined them at that point.

"You're alive," he belabored the obvious.

"Barely," New Wave complained.

"The others aren't," Warrant revealed.

"Good riddance," New Wave snorted.

"You'll wish they were alive in a few minutes or more," Warrant warned her.

"Why?" she asked in a derisive tone.

"Our enemies shot us down. Their next likely objective is to send a reconnaissance unit to scout out, and finish, us off," Warrant advised her, "So can you people move?"

"Some of us are barely alive," New Wave snapped at him.

"Good. They can be the bait. The rest of you into the tree line undercover," Warrant ordered, "We're setting up an ambush."

"They'll kill Cold Snap," New Wave said omninously.

"I could kill him now," Warrant armed Cold Snap's nanite bomb.

"Heatstroke, jump start Cold Snap. We need an exit," New Wave sneered.

"I've called the _Ronald Reagan_ , she's sending in another helicopter, this time under company of gunships," Warrant informed them all, "But we need to stay alive to get aboard the evac bird."

"What if Flagg simply cuts his losses?" New Wave had to ask.

The Masters of Disaster were unaware that Warrant had a bomb implanted in his neck as well. He'd actively campaigned to join Task Force X but the Mossad agent was still considered a rogue liability despite his trustee status. So Waller insured his loyalty and his obedience. Which she'd done simply by promising he would have the squad's support to kill the Mossad defector known as the Shadow Thief.

* * *

Enigma had her force staggered into skirmish lines. Inertia, Sun Girl, and Windfall joined her in being a final layer of defense. Match, TNTeena, Disruptor, Dreadbolt, and Persuader were the front line of the static defensive posture. Nightshade opened a portal from the Land of the Nightshades and Katana, Captain Boomerang, and Lime and Light emerged from it. Simultaneously, Firehawk descended and dove at the Injustice Titans.

Persuader engaged Katana, Atomic Axe to SoulTaker. Persuader mocked Katana while she tried to chop the SoulTaker's blade in half…and failed, "I heard you were some kind of high and mighty Justice League bitch. Huh? My axe can't cut through your sword?"

"Apparently not," Katana remained nonchalant.

Katana proceeded to test Persuader's skill level before pressing her advantages.

* * *

Dreadbolt and Disruptor fought the sister act of Lime and Light. The glory hounds had been recruited to Task Force X after using their meta-human abilities to conduct a series of bank robberies and murders along the way. Their rampage had left a dozen people dead before the new Green Arrow intervened and captured them for the FBI and LAPD.

Waller had determined their energy projection, flight, and illusion casting abilities would serve the Suicide Squad rather well. And now the sisters threw all of that at Dreadbolt and Disruptor. Dreadbolt's electrical discharges penetrated through illusions and chased down physical opponents. Disruptor's gauntlets evaporated illusions.

Finally Disruptor grabbed hold of Lime's ankle and her gauntlet disrupted Lime's nervous system and powers, rendering her unconscious. Light panicked, "Lime!"

Dreadbolt zapped her and did his own short circuiting. With the sister act down, Dreadbolt counseled Disruptor to assess the fuller situation before charging into it.

* * *

TNTeena confronted Captain Boomerang. She energized rocks and sticks into being explosives and hurled them at Digger Harkness like hand grenades. After evading a dozen explosions, Captain Boomerang had enough.

"Strewth! Normally I'd like a few explosions between a strumpet like you and meself, but damn girl, enough is enough. You'll be making me all riley in a minute," Captain Boomerang warned her.

"Make me, barf bag!" TNTeena taunted him.

Captain Boomerang threw an average, plain ol' boomerang. It started to sail over TNTeena's shoulder and she laughed, "God, you're so pathetic!"

Then the boomerang turned around and clubbed her head. She staggered forward and tried to catch her balance. She looked up in time to see Digger had closed the distance.

"G'night, Princess!" his right cross put her down.

* * *

Match paired off against Nightshade. She used the Nightforce to create constructs to beleaguer the clone of a clone. Then she simply dropped him off into the Land of the Nightshades.

It took an average person three minutes to succumb to the realm that Nightshade's powers derived from. She gave Match five. King Faraday had briefed her on the NOWHERE project and its cumulative success at creating the human/Kryptonian hybrid clone called "Superboy". File footage of Superboy fighting beside the Teen Titans had been blacklisted along with all knowledge that Kal-El's DNA had been blended with Lex Luthor's.

When Superboy escaped the NOWHERE facility, he'd destroyed all the viable genetic material that went into his creation. So the engineers had tried again with Superboy's own genetic samples. And Match had been the result. A Bizarro clone of a clone. And dubbed a failure by everyone involved except Match himself.

Match was dazed and confused, she wondered if there was any other state of being for a Bizarro clone, and she easily subdued him by smothering him in solid darkness. After taking him down, Nightshade wondered just what would ARGUS do with their new captive? Anything, she supposed, as long as they didn't assign him to Task Force X.

* * *

Firehawk largely relied upon energy blasts to deal with Inertia, Sun Girl, and Windfall. Inertia was proving to be a difficult target. Sun Girl gave as well as she received. Her solar energy bursts actually caused Firehawk to retreat on several occasions. Her youngest opponent stood by and merely studied Firehawk. Lorraine Reilly just knew the teenager would be trouble soon enough.

Windfall struck with a jet stream and Firehawk was swept away. Sun Girl was amazed, "Wow! She just disappeared!"

"She'll be back, won't she?" Inertia asked the youngest Injustice Titan.

"The jet stream will carry her several miles out to sea, maybe over Ireland," Windfall admitted, "I guess we should get prepared for her now that we know what we're dealing with."

* * *

Captain Boomerang's advance was blocked by Enigma, "Bloody hell. A Riddler fangirl."

"Daughter actually," Enigma corrected him.

"I never knew the bloke had it in him. I always thought he liked little boys," Captain Boomerang admitted, "Now get outta my way or I'll frickin' spank you."

"You'll have to move me," Enigma challenged him.

Boomerang threw two razorangs. Enigma plucked one razorang out of the air and then caught the other one behind her head, "Almost impressive, Harkness. But really? You're that predictable?"

Captain Boomerang turned beet red.

* * *

Merlyn met up with Afterthought. Lady Chronos had frozen time around the Suicide Squad assigned to her unit and held them in stasis as the Earth moved beneath them. The Squad had staged off of a fishing trawler in the English Channel until they got word to deploy. Merlyn's immediate problem was that he knew nothing about Afterthought.

Afterthought was a precognitive talent like Tuatara. He saw the world seconds before the events happening around him. So he could respond to situations that hadn't developed yet. Now that Afterthought was back in sync with his present after Lady Chronos' temporal displacement, his powers fully worked again.

So Merlyn was unable to hit a target that moved just as he released his arrow. Once Merlyn expended all twenty-six arrows in his quiver, he was enraged and decided to close the distance and fight hand to hand. Only, Afterthought's power worked just as effectively when he fought as when he evaded. Merlyn never stood an inkling of a chance.

* * *

Phantasm allowed Syonide to snare her scythe glove. The glove's interior was insulated so the electric shock factor was negated. Phantasm enjoyed the look on Syonide's face when she cut the whip in half.

Next, Phantasm's adaptagenic smoke screen blinded Syonide and Andrea Beaumont proceeded to systematically beat Syonide senseless. Since Syonide had been a former competitor before Phantasm was "recruited" into the Suicide Squad, Andrea enjoyed her work.

* * *

Lady Chronos panicked as Lady Flash began to push through the temporal stasis field she'd been placed in. Lady Flash's acceleration was just so great she couldn't be frozen in time anymore. So Lady Chronos vanished to replace her present with another's future. Daniel West, who was about to become known as Zoom in Central City in the near future suddenly appeared where Lady Chronos had stood.

Zoom saw Lady Flash studying him wearing a Flash uniform, leather jacket, goggles, and her wild mane of red hair flowing freely and he knew he was in trouble. So he went on the offensive. No one realized that Lady Chronos would appear in Central City in a matter of weeks and her nanite bomb went off because its timer limit had been exceeded.

* * *

Aresia evenly matched her opponent. The renegade Amazon had no clue that Black Orchid was a plant elemental. She'd taken on a human guise in order to stem humanity's predations on the natural world. Black Orchid had been captured and imprisoned after she'd killed a various dozen businessmen and women in judgment of their despoiling nature.

Black Orchid had faithfully served the third incarnation of Task Force X. The first being the military team and the second consisting of Colonel Flagg, Captain Boomerang, and Plastique conducting a raid on the Watchtower station under the JLU's watch. Black Orchid served in Checkmate after it succeeded Task Force X.

Her sentence had been commuted but she was one among several that volunteered to act as trustees over the new recruits. Part of Black Orchid's motivation is having the ability to sway law enforcement towards prosecuting environmental offenders. It was one reward amongst other quieter ones.

Aresia and Black Orchid shared many attributes. Both were superhumanly strong. Both could fly thanks to Aresia stealing MARS antigrav boots. Both were nearly invulnerable. And both received power from mystical sources discounting Aresia technologically derived ability to fly.

But Aresia had been bequeathed a lasso of agony by Ares. And by utilizing it against Black Orchid, she found even elementals felt excruciating pain.

* * *

Savant sprinted towards Dark Archer. Malcolm Merlyn was perhaps even more deadly accurate with his bow than his father but Savant evaded every shot.

White Lightning interposed herself between them, "Stop."

Savant froze place. White Lightning caressed his cheek, "Easy, boy. Just relax and go with it."

Savant assumed a lackadaisical posture. Mayflower made her approach and White Lighting aimed Savant at her, "Kill the plant girl."

Savant charged his teammate with murderous intent. Mayflower caused roots and vines to spring out of the ground. Saplings quickly developed into trees. And all of them snared Savant and barely held him in place.

"Oooh, someone looks pissed off," White Lightning taunted Mayflower.

Mayflower's growth snatched Dark Archer's arrows out of the air before vines snared his ankles and dragged him into the developing hedge. The sounds of violence ended within seconds. White Lightning looked around for more men to use as weapons and found none.

"Oh shit," she murmured as Mayflower's plants took hold of her and choked her into submission. Savant snapped out of it.

"What? Why?" he asked Mayflower.

"The biker woman took control of your mind," Mayflower shrugged, "Or are you still fantasizing about 'Miss Leather Pants That Are Three Sizes Too Small?"

"There are worse looks," Savant grudgingly allowed.

"Point one out to prove it," Mayflower snorted.

* * *

Silver Swan's song shattered Killer Frost's icy barriers as she circled overhead. Killer Frost had never tested her effective range but she about to establish it. Focusing on Silver Swan flying overhead, she drew heat energy out of the young woman and effectively froze her. And it was just in time as Killer frost's blue skin became a rosy pink again and she was merely Louise Lincoln once again until she blew thermal energy off.

* * *

Crowbar blasted away at Big Sir with his energized namesake weapon. Seeing all he was doing was frustrating the Mammoth-sized Big Sir, Crowbar began using his weapon for a physical assault. After bruising Big Sir several times Crowbar realized when Big Sire and decided he'd had enough.

* * *

Iceberg was a professor at a technical school that had designed a better refrigeration system. It was more efficient and cooled better but was costlier to run. Therefore his design was rejected by every major manufacturer. Iceberg quit his job and built a mobile prototype to demonstrate for financial "wildcatters". Still, no one invested and Iceberg had plunged all of his life savings into building the first prototype.

So Iceberg weaponized the design and created a costumed persona and began robbing diamond exchanges. But two factors interfered with Iceberg's dreams of riches. The first was that he'd frozen several people to death. The second was Captain Cold's sense of wounded pride that Iceberg had taken up a similar mantle. So Cold defeated Iceberg and handed him over to the younger Flash when Iceberg travelled to Central City.

Waller had selected Iceberg for the Task Force X program so that saved him from lethal injection. But it left him ill prepared to face a foe as diversified as Major Disaster. Disaster upon a fissure beneath Iceberg and spouted magma up through it. Iceberg barely had time to register his own death.

Afterwards Major Disaster decided to pull Big Sir off of Crowbar.

* * *

"They're breaching two separate entrances," Wrath informed Cain.

"Our outer defense seems to be secure despite Blacksmith's growing incompetence," Cain commented, "You deal with Deadshot and the bandaged soldier. Do what you want with them."

"The moment they chose to assist law enforcement they sealed their own fate," Wrath grabbed a weapon of his own "divested" corporation's design. Cain knew the rifle and the copious amount of firearms Wrath carried were superfluous. Elliot Caldwell had trained himself to League of Assassins standards.

Cain decided to intercept Colonel Rick Flagg, Taskforce X's field commander, and Cupid. Flagg was a career SpecOps soldier who was resilient and doggedly determined, if not overly imaginative. Cupid was on a whole level of vocatively on her own. Cupid was a variable that could destroy the entire affair.

Nyssa's prediction that Task Force X would pay the Injusticers a visit while she was otherwise engaged had proven frighteningly accurate. Cain wished Nyssa would confide in him more but now that Black Canary was with her, she'd finally found a confidant just as competent as she was. But that still left him with only three-quarters of the story.

* * *

"Do you see anything?" Unknown Soldier asked Deadshot.

Deadshot's helmet sight had several viewing modes available. None of them viewed a target to shoot. Which was rather sad in Deadshot's opinion.

"Nope," he shrugged, "You?"

"We're walking into a trap," the Unknown Soldier complained, "This hallway is a perfect kill zone."

"You worry too much," Deadshot scoffed, "I see it, I kill it."

"And if you don't see it first?" Unknown Soldier had to wonder seemingly prophetically.

A shrill hypersonic reverberation shattered glass and wooden furniture in the hallway. Deadshot's wrist guns were immune to the sonic attack. But his helmet sight wasn't. It shattered into minuscule shards.

While Deadshot sought to protect his eyes from his ocular lens besides his sighting lens, Unknown Soldier fired down the hallway. No one could be seen but the attack halted. Wrath appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Here I am," he gloated, "Are you prepared to do what needs to be done?"

"More than ready," Unknown Soldier vowed.

"You're that MARS Industries mistake from `42, aren't you?" Wrath marveled, "I heard they tried to kill you after the war. How's the face and body scars?"

"Better than your public image, Caldwell," Unknown Soldier had Wrath in his sights.

"It's true I had to divest all my interest in Caldwell Arms, Wrath admitted, "But Luthor did the same with LexCorp and look how that's turning out."

"Rich or poor, you'll still die the same," Unknown Soldier vowed.

"By the way, step aside," Wrath fired several shots.

Unknown Soldier had reflexively stepped aside and saw afterwards Deadshot had been the actual target. Both of Deadshot's wrist guns had their barrels penetrated. And were his armor and padding formed seam at his shoulders and hips, he'd taken a bullet in each.

Wrath holstered his machine pistol in his shoulder holster and pulled truncheons out of leg sheaths, "Let's do this."

Unknown Soldier reasoned that his knives would far better against Wrath's armor than his bullets. So they savagely attacked one another while Deadshot desperately tried to reach Olivia Thoreau.

Olivia was the ARGUS logistics officer back aboard the _Ronald Reagan_ coordinating the US Navy's actions with those of Task Force X. The ship's CO and the CAG were both disgruntled over the loss of two SH-63 Seahawk helicopters and their crews. Olivia ultimately answered to Special Agent-in-Charge Karin Grace of ARGUS. Karin had been a member of the military Task Force X.

She had little love regarding the current franchise of the unit but she would move heaven and hell to protect Flagg. Whether she was willing to admit it or not. Waller had appointed former ISA agent Gwen Cormaugh her deputy in running the Suicide Squad and the current operation had been devised under her watch. The fact Task Force X had been assigned t target the Injusticers didn't strike anyone as being odd. The fact the orders came directly from the Oval Office did considering how the President wanted absolutely no knowledge of the Suicide Squad's activities or whereabouts at any given time.

* * *

Cupid fired off three precisely aimed arrows at Cain. He deflected every one with a Mag-Lite, "Cupid, what did I-Ching share with you?"

"He said Nyssa Raatko had access to artificial Lazarus Pits that could revive Oliver Queen," Cupid snarled.

"The Lazarus pit is _an_ answer," Cain swatted aside another arrow, "It revives the recently dead. Queen has been dead for months. There's no telling what it would revive. But there are alternatives."

Cupid ceased her attack, "I'm listening."

"Carter Hall has the Egyptian Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead in his possession," Cain explained to her, "Join with us and we'll try both methods if needed."

"See ya, Colonel," Cupid simply walked off to leave Flagg facing Cain alone.

Flagg triggered her neck bomb. A pipe leg to a cot inside Belle Reeve Prison exploded within Cupid's cell. Flagg looked totally unnerved by the fact Cupid's head hadn't exploded.

"I removed my nanite bomb," she explained with a throat slitting gesture, "I'm the Unknown Soldier Mark II."

"I'd let it go, Flagg. She's one determined woman," Cain advised.

"Now what?" Flagg asked.

"Do you even know why you're here?" Cain wondered.

"Presidential orders," Flagg recited crisply.

"But who gave him his orders?" Cain asked.

Flagg simply stared at him. Cain shook his head, "I thought as much. Let's answer that question and all the other answers will fall into place."

* * *

The Injustice Rogues' scouting party came upon the burning wreckage filled with the corpses of the navy flight crew and the League of Smiles. Then they headed towards the other wrecked helicopter. Blue Jay scouted ahead and then flew back to Magenta.

"They're trying to be sneaky but there's survivors surrounding this wreck. I think they're setting up a trap," Blue Jay warned her.

"Then let's spring it," Magenta grinned.

Jay Abrams knew Francis Kane was unstable at the best of times. She'd dated the younger Flash when she first adopted her costumed persona. Their breakup tipped her mental illness scales and Fran had wandered far and wide before joining the Injustice Rogues. But despite being on opposite sides of the law, Magenta had never betrayed a single of the Flash's secrets.

Magenta "threw" Girder into midst of the Masters of Disaster. He picked the duo of Mudslide and Shakedown to fight. They were both burly specimens and knew how to brawl. Shakedown knocked Girder off balance with a seismic shift. Mudslide brought the hillside down across Girder's knees. The iron man didn't like the gleeful anticipation emblazoned on Heatstroke's face.

She superheated him until he was red hot. And then Cold Snap froze him. Girder's skin cracked and he screamed until he cooled into a steaming, frostbitten statue. Magenta was enraged as she landed beside the wrecked fuselage. She began magnetically tearing shards out of the wreckage and hurling them at everyone she could see.

New Wave became sentient water and rushed towards Magenta as shards flew through her. Encapsulating Magenta, she half drowned her. New Wave receded as Magenta desperately cleared her lungs. Blue Jay flew out of sight and signaled Blacksmith.

* * *

Blacksmith marched on the listless Injustice Rogues who could hear the other teams fighting, "Our scouting party has met the enemy and taken casualties. I want these mother bitches' heads."

Silver Sorceress cast her teleportation spell honed in on her psychic link with Blue Jay.

* * *

"Contact!" Warrant had spotted Blue Jay hurried flight back into the Masters of Disaster's position. And he'd seen the first inklings of Silver Sorceress' spell take shape.

Plunder spotted Warrant and chose to engage him. Murmur bounded gleefully through the underbrush for the chance to slit Dust Devil's throat. Blue Jay retook his human size and fought Mudslide. Knockout went straight for Shakedown. That left Cold Snap and Heatstroke to Scandal and Silver Sorceress' tender "mercies" while Blacksmith confronted New Wave.

The Jared Morillo of Earth Prime was a police detective in Keystone City. But Plunder was the same man from an alternate Earth where the heroes were villains and vice versa. Except for Captain Thunder, whom Shazam had empowered Damian Wayne to be his champion on that world.

Plunder had received caches of weapons from Caldwell Arms thanks to the Wrath. They were twice as sophisticated as MARS Industries' output. But also three times as cost prohibitive. Which would only have been a factor of Plunder was actually paying for them.

Where Morillo was a cop at heart, Plunder was essentially a glorified thug at heart. And Warrant didn't flinch, which gave him a psychological advantage. After disabling Plunder with several well placed shots, Warrant broke open some medical bandages to slap on bullet wounds and instructed Plunder to apply pressure or bleed out. His choice. Then Warrant went to assist Dust Devil against the frenzied psychotic that was Murmur.

* * *

Dust Devil barely kept Murmur at bay with his whirlwinds. But the crazed serial killer continually bounced back and came straight for Dust Devil. Then a hail of bullets punctured Murmur's lungs. Dust Devil retook the initiative and spun Murmur around until the psycho choked on his own blood and vomit.

* * *

Blue Jay combined size changing, aerial agility, and well honed fighting skills against Mudslide, his brute force attacks, and terrain sliding abilities. Mudslide didn't stand a chance. But Blue Jay turned away from the unconscious Squader to be confronted by Warrant and Dust Devil.

* * *

Knockout barreled through every localized seismic event Shakedown threw at her. She brought him down with a single punch. Then she took note of Girder and decided someone was going to die.

"Sorry, baby. It may have been quick and good for you but I'm left wanting more," Knockdown said as she prepared to snap Shakedown's neck. Then she spotted Blue Jay's travails, "Oo-oh! A three-way!"

* * *

Blacksmith and New Wave were at an impasse. Blacksmith's power to convert flesh to organic steel didn't work on sentient water. And Blacksmith couldn't be drowned.

* * *

Silver Sorceress muttered a spell under her breath the entire time she encroached on Cold Snap. And then the moment came when he panicked and reflexively used his powers. And froze himself in a small iceberg.

* * *

Scandal dodged Heatstroke's pyrokinetic flame bursts. Then she switched her Lamentation Blades' configuration from the twin blade stabbing setup to the three blade slicing mode. And she cut Heatstroke every time she approached so Heatstroke erected a wall of fire all around her in a circle.

Scandal reconfigured her blades back to their stabbing arrangement and plunged her arm through the flames. They dissipated and Heatstroke stood with two of Scandal's blades in her abdomen, "Now this won't kill you if you're capable of self cauterizing. Let's see what you're made of."

Heatstroke fainted and Scandal shrugged, "I guess we may never find out."

Scandal assessed the greater picture, "Sorceress, assist Blacksmith. I'll help Blue Jay."

"And your stripper girlfriend," Silver Sorceress said sourly.

"Kay does as she pleases and she likes attention. No harm no foul," Scandal chided her, "Now get moving or deal with me."

And then suddenly a message was transmitted to both sides with orders that no one could have expected. Even Scandal was taken utterly by surprise.

* * *

Dreadbolt woke up TNTeena, ""Wha…?"

"You got knocked out," Dreadbolt told her.

"Just leave the scab and let's get going," Disruptor urged.

"You go. I'll be right behind you," the former leader of the Terror Titans replied.

Disruptor sullenly stalked off. Dreadbolt returned his focus on TNTeena, "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything!" TNTeena caught herself, "Uh…maybe?"

"I have two prisoners over there. I need someone to guard them. Are you up too it or do you need to rest some more?" Dreadbolt asked.

"Ugh… _resting_ is the last thing I need," TNTeena volunteered for the job.

* * *

Nightshade dumped an unconscious Match out of the Land of Nightshades. She saw Dreadbolt, "You're the Bolt's kid."

"What do you know about him?" Dreadbolt snarled.

"I know you were fed a lie. He died bravely fighting Atlantean infantry in defense of Manhattan," Nightshade told him, "I know because I was there too."

"My dad was never on a super team," Dreadbolt argued.

"We're not your conventional super team," Nightshade said ruefully, "The Bolt was working years off his sentence."

"What about me?" Disruptor asked.

"What about you?" Nightshade was irritated because she thought she might get through to Dreadbolt.

"Don't I remind you of anyone?" Disruptor asked.

"No, who are you supposed to be anyway?" Nightshade asked.

"The Disruptor," she answered irritably.

"The Disruptor? Nightshade searched her memory, "Guy had gauntlets that disrupted powers and nervous systems, right? He lasted five whole second against Batman. Five. Whole. Seconds. He got shivved in a Blackgate shower."

"I'm going to kill you very slowly. Very. Slowly," Disruptor promised.

Then everyone got new orders.

* * *

Katana had to admit the Atomic Axe was formidable. It could easily cut through anything but her SoulTaker. But Persuader was still reduced to fighting for her very life.

It wasn't very often Katana got to really open up on someone and employ her full battery of skills. But Persuader had been challenging enough to do so. Katana would say thank you to the girl's soul as her sword drank it in.

And then Katana was disappointed.

* * *

Windfall forced Firehawk to the ground where Sun Girl ejected solar flares at her and Inertia seemingly attacked from all sides. But then they shared the news everyone else was getting. And they didn't know how to respond.

* * *

Enigma had collected every one of Captain Boomerang's weapons by simply plucking them out of the air, "Seriously? Have you ever once considered changing strategies in mid-course?"

"I'll kill you with my bare hands!" a fuming Australian shouted.

Enigma kicked her staff up to her hands and stunned Captain Boomerang with an electro blast. Then her earpiece delivered the news everyone else would puzzle over. She looked down at Captain Boomerang with some dismay.

"You couldn't have held off for thirty seconds?" she grumbled.

* * *

Merlyn was still laid out on the lawn while Afterthought waited for the inevitable radio traffic. When it came he commented afterwards, "Saw that one coming."

"I…I…I'll…k…kill…you," Merlyn stammered as he attempted to rise again.  
Afterthought put him down with a single punch, "Saw that too."

* * *

Syonide didn't have a whip left. And her secondary weapons had been taken from her. Finally she resorted to hand to hand. Phantasm _gonged_ her upside the head with her scythe glove.

"No means no," Phantasm told the unconscious woman. Then a new set of instructions arrived. And Phantasm knew what a colossal pain in the ass her new orders were going to be.

* * *

Zoom didn't run fast. He sped time around his body up and moved through a slower temporal field at an accelerated rate. It gave the impression he moved faster than human but it was lie. Lady Flash had already realized Zoom was slower than she was just as she moved slower than the younger Flash and relatively the same as Jesse Quick and the older Flash. But as Zoom raced off across the countryside, Lady Flash was crippled by Velocity-9 withdrawals. She was metabolizing the drug faster and faster.

Fortunately she was superhumanly fast already without it. But on her own she was slower than Jesse Quick or even the accursed Kapitalist Kouriers. Velocity-9 gave her a fighting edge and it was highly addictive. But she was helpless until Aresia found her and carried her back to the manor where Lady Flash could quietly dose again.

* * *

"Well, that's anticlimactic," Mayflower commented on the Suicide Squad's new orders. Orders shared by the Injusticers.

"It's just as well. They wouldn't have been taken alive," Savant assessed.

"People should know when enough is enough," Mayflower judged.

* * *

Killer Frost snorted as she got Cain's message. She rubbed the unconscious Silver Swan's arm, "Cheer up, kiddo. At least you don't have to go down fighting."

* * *

"Okay, Big Guy. Ease off and let the nice man with the crowbar live," Major Disaster tried talking Big Sir down.

"Not nice. _Bad_ man. He hurted Big Sir," the man child protested.

"I'm sure he's sorry now but he can't say so until you let go of his throat and stop choking him," Major Disaster tried again.

Big Sir dropped Crowbar. Major Disaster knelt next to him, "For god's sake, start apologizing."

Crowbar bubbled up as a literal fount of apologies. Killer Frost was a healthy shade of blue again, "Mind if I help?"

"Um…how?" Major Disaster still didn't quite get Louise Lincoln.

"Give me your hood and I'll make an ice pack," Killer Frost cheerfully offered, "You two give me hope for us as a species."

"That had to hurt," Major Disaster remarked.

"Not so much," Killer Frost admitted.

"Look, if you'd ever like to just talk, iced coffee or something, let me know. I know it wouldn't be a romantic thing," Major Disaster offered.

Killer Frost thought that was the politest way any Injusticer had referred to her, Scandal, and Knockout's homosexuality, "I'll think about it."

"No pressure. Just an outlet," Major Disaster clarified.

"How did you end up a super villain?" she had to ask.

"Looong story," he confessed.

"Maybe we'll discuss it," Killer Frost smirked.

* * *

Deadshot could feel bone chips in his rotator cuffs. Unknown Soldier broke away from the Wrath, "You get a reprieve."

"I was thinking that about you," Wrath chuckled, "Funny thing that."

"Olivia, arrange an evac. We're pulling out," Flagg radioed after getting his report from King Faraday.

"Nice to know who ultimately owns the President," Cain mused.

"Look, you're all in the crosshairs. They'll probably send a fleet of cruise missiles next," Flagg advised him.

"We can disappear when we want to," Cain promised.


	4. Chapter 4

14

Odysseus began laughing as he placed his helmet on his head, "You are all betrayed. Talia has marked you as traitors. But swear allegiance to me and I'll buy your lives from her wrath."

Black Canary actually began laughing in his face, "Did you honestly believe we'd expect anything less from you?"

Her reaction clearly baffled Odysseus, "What?"

"Slade told me all about you so I knew what to expect. You'd turn this meeting into an opportunity to build your meager forces into something credible. Just as we knew John Lynch would approach Talia first to sell her our lives in exchange for her protection against Slade," Black Canary explained.

"Do your worst against me. I'll outlive every person in this room, including Darhk," Odysseus sneered.

A red, white, and blue streak smashed though the farm house walls and Odysseus vanished. His scream of protest quickly faded. Black Canary looked rather pleased with herself.

"Now that he's the Freedom Fighters' concern, I gave Lynch an improper time for our meeting. Talia's forces will still be gathering and we still have time to prepare for them," Black Canary told everyone.

"Well played," Darhk grudgingly admitted, "But this position is untenable."

"Quite the opposite, in fact," Nyssa intervened, "We're on the line with County Limerick. These are wooded glens and hills. They have to transit from Dublin to Mallow and then half a county to us. Their logistics trail is long and undefended."

"But a master strategist could still outplay us," Ducard warned.

"I expect Ebenezer Darrk himself to lead this campaign. It's all or nothing for Talia and her forces," Nyssa replied.

Darrk had replaced Nyssa as the head of the League of Assassins. He was a master planner and had conceived campaigns that nearly killed the Dark Knight himself after Ra's al Ghul abandoned recruiting Bruce Wayne and chose to kill him instead.

"This proves to be problematic," Brezhnev complained.

"We're not without resources of our own," Black Canary revealed, "Mother didn't decline our invitation. Instead we relegated her supporting role. Her agents filled southern Ireland and are converging behind Darrk's attack force. When the League of Assassins hits our resistance, and when their attack gets blunted, they'll retreat in order to regroup and redevise their tactics. Mother's forces will be waiting for them."

"Then we shall begin by having our personal weapons unlocked from the security lockers the mercenaries placed them in," Lady Shiva insisted.

Members of the Dead Bastards were providing neutral security services. Nyssa snapped her fingers and the Dead Bastards present began unlocking everything. Black Canary singled Richard Dragon out.

"Richard, I need you to hold this cabin," she insisted.

"I'm no longer a fighter," Dragon warned her.

"I don't need a fighter," Black Canary confided, "I need a voice of reason the enemy will listen to."

* * *

"How does it feel, father?" Satanus sneered at his parent as he disemboweled him…again.

Worms and maggots littered Shazam's exposed guts. They were immunized to hellfire and would endure forever. The rot inside Shazam was eternal and undying. A Lord of Order brought low to the bowels of Hell itself.

"It's too bad sister Blaze isn't here as well," Satanus offered Shazam one slim comfort that his tortures wouldn't be multiplied until his daughter returned, "Sister dear is far too consumed with affairs on the mortal plane. But you inspired us, sitting alone of the Rock of Eternity. It, itself, a fusion of a piece of Heaven and a chunk of Hell. You looked down upon the multiverse and empowered your petty champions. Now Blaze and I follow your example and do the same. You should know, Blaze has just empowered the surviving Black Seven as she took control of Galaxy Multimedia. Now the entire world is Blaze's outlet."

"Do you ever tire of hearing your own voice?' Shazam hoarsely inquired.

"You should be grateful you're a Lord of Order," Satanus chided his captive father, "A mortal would be condemned to an eternity in this place. You, on the other hand, can go free once you swear allegiance to me."

"You're a bigger fool than I thought; Satanus," Shazam's laughter had a hacking sound to it; "The Lords of Order and Chaos are still under the angelic hosts. That means even if I do serve you, you will still be a slave to Lucifer Morningstar until you are consumed by the Lake of Fire."

"What do you mean?" Satanus hissed in Shazam's face.

And then Pandora's sword thrust through Satanus' chest, "He means you're a stupid, willful child with delusions of grandeur."

Satanus gurgled as Pandora twisted her sword, "Free him."

Isis and Black Adam caught Shazam as he fell free of the cross he was nailed to. Black Adam sternly whispered in Shazam's ear, "Remember this moment, wizard."

"Mary, hit Satanus as hard as you can," Pandora instructed.

Mary delivered her punch while Pandora tore her sword free by slicing through Satanus' side. Satanus' neck snapped and he was nearly cut in half by Pandora. Mary was startled.

"Omigosh!" Mary fretted.

"Unfortunately, he'll live," Pandora predicted as she turned to Shazam, "It's up to you to get us home."

"I'll require a moment," Shazam feebly protested.

"We may not have any moments left to us," Black Adam indicated the winged horde of flying horrors coming for them.

* * *

"Our first major exercise acting as United Nations operatives once again seems to have been a rousing success," Superman proudly proclaimed.

"But Jean's firm has been hired by the UN to handle the civil suits Iran is bringing against the Justice League," Atom referred to Jean Loring, Ray Palmer's ex-wife, "Jean's lead counsel."

"Shouldn't she have to recuse herself," Jesse asked.

"Jean and I aren't married so there's no conflict of interest," Atom happily burbled.

"But you're living together," Hourman pointed out the obvious.

"I think we should be grateful our legal defense team has someone on it who is personally concerned about our well being," Superman interrupted.

"We must…argh!" J'onn clutched at his head and went down with a cry. On the opposite coast, M'gann M'orzz, also known as Miss Martian, did the same at Titans Compound.

"Get him to a biobed," Barda commanded, "Mother Box can determine what just happened."

"I'll alert the Teen Titans and see if M'gann was hit by whatever as well," Blue Beetle volunteered.

* * *

"Where's Waller?" Sue asked Maven as she entered Waller's executive office within the Hall of Justice.

Maven had been Selina Kyle's assistant before working for Waller, "She went comms dark forty-five minutes ago. But she had me clear a flight plan to Belle Reeve so I think she's going to find out from Gwen and Rick what went wrong in Wales."

Sue muttered her way back to the Operations Theater.

* * *

Waller and Gwen waited for Task Force X to land at the airstrip dredged out of the Louisiana swampland that Belle Reeve was surrounded by. Flagg's sitrep regarding his field decision to abort the mission had been generic to the point of being overtly vanilla. Flagg was hiding his reasons from the official paperwork and Waller wanted to know why.

Gwen had been the ISA's liaison with a half dozen super teams. So she recognized irregularities when she saw them and the orders to pursue the Injusticers had reeked of discrepancies. But everyone she contacted to verify the orders vouchsafed for their authenticity. And Waller herself had been sidelined dealing with the fallout of the Justice League of America. Which ostensibly provoked the President's order to neutralize Black Canary and the Injusticers with her.

But when Flagg revealed what King Faraday had uncovered, the game changed into a different entirely.

* * *

Jenny Quantum teleported every team assigned to anti-Daemonite operations to one of the myriad "ghost cities" in Central China. China had built entire urban centers throughout its country that no one lived in. The population still insisted in overcrowding Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

But this city had been selected as a training ground for the Great Ten and the Chinese Trinity. They agreed to engage in war games with the Stormwatch sponsored teams. At first, despite Super-Man, Bat-Man, and Wonder-Woman's inexperience, the Chinese operatives scored highly on the simulated combat. But then the teams gelled together and the Chinese were hard pressed to even fend off one or two teams at a time.

Essentially playing a glorified version of "capture the flag", the Great Ten and the Trinity's advantages swiftly evaporated as the teams learning curve grew at an exponential rate.

* * *

"We've got the bitch!" Vapor snarled as she stormed into Claire Montgomery's office, "That little stunt she pulled that knocked out Praxis and Matrix enabled him to locate Disco Mummy. She's even up to her old tricks. She inhabits a Mesopotamian ziggurat in Iraq."

"Many of our sponsors have concerns in Iraq threatened by the Islamic State," Claire mused.

"We don't fight wars or get involved in politics," Vapor reminded Claire of her pledge, "Let the JLU nursemaid world politics."

"I'll alert the State Department of your intention to travel abroad. And I'll see if the sponsors won't hire security contractors away from other positions to escort you through the country," Claire told Vapor, "Have you thought about alerting the JSA All Stars?"

"I already have," Vapor grinned, "They'll be rendezvousing with us in Baghdad."

"You're a dangerous woman," Claire groaned.

"I'll take that as a compliment coming from you," Vapor's grin blossomed into a smile, "I have Echo arranging our flight and a helicopter coming to get us to the airport."

"Just go before you take my job while you're at it," Claire dismissed her with a wave.

* * *

"I've got the All Star Racer prepped," Mike Dugan reported to Mr. Terrific, "Lady Blackhawk, Al, and Anna are running her through the preflight checks."

Al Rothstein was more commonly referred to as Atom Smasher. Anna was, well she was simply Anna Fortune, and that wasn't as simple as that sounded. Zinda Blake was the former Lady Blackhawk.

"As much as Zinda might still internally identify herself as Lady Blackhawk she's expressed a firm desire to distance herself from the Blackhawks in light of the new guard taking over Blackhawk Express and there being a new Lady Blackhawk," Mr. Terrific reminded Mike.

"You know the government will want you to intervene in this ISIS debacle," Roxy warned him. The AI's holographic avatar floating just inches off the ground.

"The US made a similar appeal to the Justice Society fo America back during World War II," Mr. Terrific pointed out to Roxy, "We have enough JSA left in us to do the same as the originals did before."

"Which is say, 'no'," Roxy said dryly.

"Precisely," Mr. Terrific agreed.

"You do realize you might not have the luxury of saying 'no' this time?" Roxy wondered.

"We'll disband rather than fight a war," Mr. Terrific pledged.

* * *

Dr. Tzin-Tzin used his mystical powers to find his fellow practitioner, Damien Darhk. Both were competent enough low level mages but neither could compete with the most inexperienced Justice League Dark or Shadowpact member. But both were ruthless enough to qualify to serve in the Shadowpact.

Darhk had contended with Ra's for the past two centuries. And now the moment of his ascension had arrived and Nyssa was stealing the moment by substituting the upstart Black Canary as an alternative to his rightful leadership. The damn woman wasn't even a member of either the League of Shadows or Assassins.

Darhk knew he had to finish Tzin-Tzin off quickly, but in a way that earned him the man's loyalty. Then he could assassinate Black Canary during the combat. No one would be the wiser for his involvement in her death.

* * *

Maduvu ambushed Ducard. He extended the blades surgically grafted into his fingers and tried to fillet Ducard. But Ducard faithfully served Ra's al Ghul as the Chief Trainer of the League of Assassins after a storied career in the League rivaled only by David Cain, Bronze Tiger, and Lady Shiva. He'd watched Ra's spiral into madness. And marveled at how Talia, who'd never been touched by it, now displayed the same sickness as her father had before death.

Nyssa had burned far too many bridges with Ra's, Talia, and the rest of the League of Shadows to be considered the Heir to the Demon. But she'd proven her worth as the Demon's Hand at the head of the Injusticers. Installing Nyssa back into that position if Black Canary were made the Demon's Head seemed the best of all worlds for both the women and the Leagues.

Maduvu was a hellion. His strength lay in his disjointed, chaotic attacks. But even chaos yields patterns that could be exploited. And Ducard was canny enough to deduce Maduvu's. So he pinned the assassin face down in the dirt and began to reason with him.

* * *

The original Silver Monkey had died on assignment for the League of Assassins. But his successor was just as acrobatic as the dead man had been. Perhaps even more so.

But Zun Ziyi was a study in lethal grace. Trained since birth as a dancer, she'd learned martial arts as an addendum to her skills. And the combination of the two was both alluring and deadly.

Silver Monkey didn't have Ragdoll's triple-jointed advantages but he fought using many of the same forms. But Zun blocked most of his blows and delivered far more strikes than he was prepared to endure. Silver Monkey broke free from her and adopted a neutral posture.

"Why are we even fighting?" he asked her in their native Mandarin.

So Zun explained it to him.

* * *

Shellcase was the second assassin to bear that name and skull-like mask. This one was a former Spetsnaz soldier personally recruited by Brezhnev himself and delivered to Ducard for training. So despite Brezhnev's ability to crush Shellcase's trachea, he co-opted the man's personal loyalty and obliged him to listen to what was occurring at the farmhouse.

* * *

Reyes surprised Alpha by ambushing him instead. The newcomer to the League of Assassins ranks seemed blithely unaware that the League of Shadows was filled with former Assassins that had proven themselves gifted leaders. So Alpha's misconception that Reyes would be easy prey cost him his life.

* * *

Lady Shiva and Kitty Kumbata laid aside their weapons. Kitty was Dragon's last student before Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva crippled him. Their fight was flurry of movements almost too fast for the human eye to track. But Lady Shiva once more proved her dominant position within the League of Assassins was well earned. She offered Kitty her life if she would only listen to an explanation.

Bronze Tiger, in his former life as Ben Turner, had fought Wam Wam several times over the years. Wam Wam was one of the few opponents that had beaten Bronze Tiger on several occasions and lived to tell about it. Batman and the Question also ranked in that number. But Bronze Tiger decided to end Wam Wam's record today.

* * *

Whisper had developed reptilian features from ingesting her snake venom and blood elixir that granted her limited immortality. It also granted her a few snake-like attributes. Like the ability to spit venom great distances while the woman named Whip kept Whisper held back with her namesake weapon. While Whip was blinded and in agony, Whisper strangled her to death with her own whip.

* * *

The Order of Purity began within the ranks of the Order of St. Dumas. Dumas had been a part of the Third Crusade and had reached out to Saladin. Forming a joint mission, the Order embraced its Islamic sect. But centuries past and the sect began to be viewed as heretical because it clung to the old ways. So Azrael and Sister Lilhy were dispatched to decimate the Order of Purity.

White Ghost, the Order of Purity's analog for an Azrael, survived to take up arms again beside the Heretic. When the clone of Damian Wayne died, White Ghost took as many members of Leviathan that would follow him and pledged their loyalty to Talia, the mother goddess to Leviathan. Talia had hand selected White Ghost to end the life of Ra's al Ghul's "renegade" daughter.

So it came as a surprise to him when three arrows punctured his heart in rapid succession. And before he could even attempt to pull any of them out, Nyssa dropped out of the tree she'd hidden in and severed his jugular with a fourth arrow. As White Ghost collapsed and prepared to die, Nyssa approached him.

She had a fifth arrow nocked to her bowstring and the arrow was drawn back, "I know you heal at a meta-human rate. I also know you may not survive these wounds. But if you do, think about the espoused goals of the Order of Purity and those of the League of Shadows and then compare them to Talia's dictates. If you can reconcile all three, then I offer you my life to take."

Nyssa heard Dinah's Canary Cry and she sprinted off. White Ghost realized Nyssa knew it was a tactical error to leave him alive. But it meant her offer could be genuine. As he slowly pulled arrows out of his heart and it began to beat again, he considered her words. He knew Talia's ultimate goal was to purge the Earth of nearly all its inhabitants…including any members of the Leagues of Shadows and Assassins that weren't fanatically loyal to her.

* * *

"Seriously, you're freaking me out," Black Canary told her would-be opponent, "Why are you wearing a white version of my gear?"

"I'm White Willow and I'm Talia's Canary," the woman proudly boasted.

Nyssa had confided in Dinah to reveal Talia didn't exist. Ra's had erased her mind in order to inhabit her body. So "Talia's" newfound "bisexuality" was really nothing more than Ra's indulging in female flesh inside Talia's body. Given Damian's recent death, Talia's change in sexual orientation was seen as a result of her supposed grief. Grief that Ra's himself didn't display.

Ra's' choices offended Nyssa to the point she wanted to kill her father-sister. Black Canary had talked her down. With access to a Lazarus Pit Ra's would merely grow old in Talia's body. And the Ubu clan servants would wither and die after Ra's succumbed to old age at long last. Without the Leagues' assistance, Ra's would be a pariah and a derelict in the outer world beyond Nanda Parbat. That appealed to Nyssa's outraged sense of justice.

White Willow attacked while these thoughts raced through Black Canary's mind. Dinah was amazed to find White Willow truly was her counterpart in Martial arts skill. A backspin kick bloodied Black Canary's face and she staggered back.

"Nice shot. Try this," Black Canary opened her mouth and her Canary Cry blew White Willow ten feet back and stunned her. And then Dinah faced a not unexpected foe.

* * *

Darrk arrived at the farmhouse along with Kyle Abbot and Detonator. Inside, waiting for them, Richard Dragon leaned on his crutches, "You're the Lycan that joined Intergang only to be recruited into the League of Assassins."

Abbot nodded, "And you're the foe Ra's al Ghul so greatly respected he let you live after being 'chastised'."

"Lemme blow him up," Detonator pleaded.

"Contrary to your unpopular opinion, hand grenades do not serve as close quarter weapons," Darrk chided him.

"C'mon, there's plenty of cover," Detonator wheedled.

"Why, of all people, are you here, Dragon?" Darrk inquired while Detonator sulked.

"To apply reason to an unreasonable situation," Dragon shared.

Darrk considered this, "Tell me why you would consider it unreasonable."

So Dragon began to.

* * *

Darhk had overwhelmed Dr. Tzin-Tzin and then mange to convince his foe to throw in with him and overthrow Talia in Darhk's name. It was a black oath sealed upon Dr. Tzin-Tzin's soul. He served Darhk regardless of who ruled the League of Shadows. To forfeit his oath would forfeit his life and damn his soul.

Darhk created phantasms of the barest substance to fight Black Canary. While he withdrew a dart from his jacket that was tipped with the most virulent poison ever devised. While Dinah was distracted, he propelled the dart at her neck.

And Nyssa's arrow knocked it away. Darhk was amazed because Nyssa and just literally slid into the clearing where Black Canary fought illusions. With Darhk distracted, Black Canary's spectral foes evaporated.

White Willow chose the moment to renew her attack. Dinah pinned her to the forest floor and held there while Nyssa confronted Darhk. Black Canary knew whatever came next would be ugly.

"I knew you'd breach everyone's trust in favor of your own ambitions," Nyssa seethed, "You never even held to a single oath you made to my father."

"Interesting choice of words considering we both know Ra's occupies Talia's body," Darhk chuckled, "I should know. I put him there."

White Willow gasped upon hearing that. Nyssa seemed to absorb the shadows around her, "You killed my sister."

White Willow suddenly realized Talia, the Talia she'd been besotted with, was dead. Instead of a gender fluid lover she was bedding a man in a woman's body. Not even transgender women could claim the same.

"You can let me up now," White Willow pledged to Black Canary, "Ra's has repeatedly violated me. I want his head even worse than you do."

"I'd love to have you on our side," Black Canary confessed, "You're too good to have as an enemy."

"Bond later," Darhk snapped at them, "What now, Nyssa? Will you kill me?"

"Precisely," she growled as she went for an arrow.

Darhk vanished in a flash of light and smoke. White Willow knew it was more than a conjurer's trick, "That wasn't normal."

"Darhk bends reality as easily as League law," Nyssa said unhappily.

"We should check up on everyone," Dinah stated.

"No need," Nyssa reminded her, "Everyone is to return to the farmhouse upon securing a newly won ally or killing their foe. If they in turn were killed then we'll have numbers to throw at the enemy."

"I only hope Richard Dragon got through to Ebenezer Darrk," Black Canary wished.

* * *

"He…help me up," Shazam requested as Isis stuffed his innards back where they belonged after picking maggots from them. She still missed dozens of them but the wizard would have the Lords of Order help diagnose and cure his ills once they escaped Hell.

"Marvels, draw near for I need your power," Shazam summoned them.

"Black Mary stand clear," Black Adam commanded, "Isis and I shall suffice. You shall stand ready to aid Pandora should she require it of you."

"Not hardly," Pandora murmured.

As the winged horde dove at them Shazam focused his power and that of the demon gods empowering Black Adam and Isis and transported them all back to Kahndaq, "We are back where it began."

Teth-Adam and Adrianna Tomaz realized they were mortal again and that they couldn't summon the power through their magic words. Teth-Adam accused Shazam, "What treachery is this, Wizard?"

"It is no trickery," Shazam warned him, "The pantheons realized you didn't want their power any more so they've removed it. You will be mortal again and age and die as mortals do."

"But I'm still a Marvel," Mary pointed out.

"The Egyptian pantheon felt you still wanted the power no matter where or whom it came from," Shazam said sadly.

"What of Osiris?" Adrianna fretted.

"My fellow Lords of Order and I must consult but I have hopes for the boy," Shazam admitted, "And should he remain a Marvel, then I trust his parents will teach him to use his powers wisely."

"It is our duty and our privilege," Teth-Adam agreed.

"If we cannot divest him, there is a pocket dimension with an Earth and little else. You could raise him there and then decide on whether to live there with him afterwards," Shazam referred to the world where Matrix came from.

"Shazam, a word?" Pandora asked.

"I've been wrong about you all these thousands of years," Shazam sadly admitted, "But only the full Council of Wizards that placed the curse can remove it. And only Dr. Mist and I are still alive. But I will consult with the Lords of Order on this too."

"Then it seems the Phantom Stranger and I are cursed forever," Pandora said softly.

"There is still hope so long as there is life," Shazam counseled her, "And you have life in abundance. And you aren't as alone as you seem to think you are."

Shazam vanished to the Rock of Eternity to prepare his way to meet with the other Lords of Order.

* * *

"I can't believe our government liaison was sending us north to fight ISIS rather than where we need to be," Vapor grumbled.

"But it also appears the government profits from Disco Mummy's activities," Flash pointed out.

The combined teams of the Conglomerate and the All Stars were preparing to load up in a long wagon train convoy of SUVs owned and operated by Blackwater Security. Blackwater had infamously run a private army during the Iraq War. But Halliburton served on the board of corporate sponsors so they chose to use internal resources in-country rather than hire out. Vapor knew her team possessed the secret weapons despite losing a handful of members to the reinstated UN JLU.

Strange Visitor had only recently gained her powers and no one was entirely certain of what she could fully do. Herself included. Maxi-Man was a result of the Everyman Project kept separate from Infinity, Inc. LexCorp was being stubbornly defiant regarding physiological data regarding Maxi-Man's full capabilities.

Matrix, recently redubbed Supergirl, had served her pocket dimension's Earth as their Supergirl after Superboy died. An artificial life form, Supergirl mimicked many of Superman's powers but most of them were telekinetically derived. And she was a shape changer. But the transformations were often difficult and painful to accomplish. So no one was quite certain of Matrix's full capabilities either and even Supergirl herself seemed unaware of her limits.

* * *

Local contacts revealed that Disco Mummy had been restoring a ziggurat in Nippur since Saddam came to power. The city-state had been the capital of Chaldea before Babylon took precedence. But Nippur was the city of priests that crowned kings and blessed or cursed empires. The site had been continuously occupied between BCE 5000-ACE 800.

Nippur itself was located within modern Nuffar in Atak, Al-Qadisiyyah Governance. It was located between Baghdad and Basra neighboring Babil Governance which contained the historical site of Babylon. The local government willingly complained that Disco Mummy had ejected the local workers and brought in foreign costumed security. And the descriptions rarely matched anyone known to either team.

Disco Mummy's lair was beneath the ziggurat. She enjoyed the fact people had to strain to reach the pinnacle in order to beseech her welcome. There were three elevators, two were hidden. Those two travelled beneath the edifice to either an underground bunker where Disco Mummy currently made her home or to a tunnel network that included routes to the local airstrip and another that stretched to the edge of Nuffar where a small fleet of vehicles awaited use.

Disco Mummy had stolen Michael Holt's teleporter designs and crafted Ambush Bug's suit and relay "insects". Ambush Bug, in his lunatic fashion, revealed to her that Lex Luthor, and by extension the Legion of Doom, were working hand in hand with Boss Moxie and Intergang. And, more to the point, Morgan Edge of Galaxy Multimedia was Moxie's silent partner.

But now both Moxie and Edge were dead. Gun Moll Flanders had done the deed for Moxie at the behest of the simply name Gang. But Disco Mummy recognized talent. And Disco Mummy had determined that Edge died on the wishes of Angelica Blaze, secretly Shazam's daughter Lady Blaze. Disco Mummy felt an affinity with Blaze considering she herself was a 7000 year old Sumerian princess wrapped in mummification wrappings to preserve her life and beauty after she escaped imprisonment in 1899.

The high priest of Elil, the god of winds and storms had arranged for Disco Mummy's untimely supposed "death" and performed the sacred rites that cursed her. She endured 7000 years entombed, alone with her thoughts and frequently her own madness, before British Archeologists found her. She'd killed them and went into hiding as a recluse, pillaging tombs and sepulchers to finance her lifestyle.

But in the Seventies, a new form of music brought life back into her soul. And as long as she endured, Disco would not die. Over the Twentieth Century she learned that modern sorcery was in fact technologically driven. So she sought to master technology in all its forms. Once she'd scoured the world mastering technologies nuances, she settled in Guatemala and built her Chaos Engine, harnessing sorcery with technology.

But the Conglomerate and JSA All Stars had interrupted her tests and caused her to travel to Nippur, her chosen base, early. Using Brains as a middleperson, she negotiated with Luthor to have Legionnaires guarding her temple site. And wonderfully, none of them knew what to expect when Disco Mummy activate the engine once again.


	5. Chapter 5

12

Luthor lent Disco Mummy a cadre of newcomers and teams that had just allied with the Legion of Doom. He considered this a field test of their abilities both as teams and individuals. He'd set Hummingbird up as the nominal field commander and she'd selected her own support staff.

Hummingbird chose her lieutenants from other new arrivals to the Legion. Fright, Duchess, Lady Lunar, and Blackstarr were her selections. They were a varied crew.

Hummingbird had carved out her own nation within the Canadian Province of Quebec. The Canadians had finally ousted Hummingbird and liberated her portion of Quebec with the aid of a top secret Canadian super team dubbed "Justice League United" modeled after the Justice League of America.

But the existence of the Justice League United was still a closely guarded secret. One the Justice League Unlimited hadn't learned about until they'd partnered with the United Nations once again. The JLA administrators knew because of the close alliance between the United States and Canada. So ARGUS had advised on the creation of their Canadian counterpart, the Department of Meta-Human Affairs, or DOMA. And DOMA ran the Justice League United the way that ARGUS ran the JLA.

Fright had been a lab assistant to Jonathan Crane. She'd helped him perfect his fear toxin. And he'd dosed her with it as he became the Scarecrow. The dosage was intended to drive her insane but instead it sparked a mad genius within her.

Fright took the Scarecrow's toxin further and added VENOM to it. So terrified victims had the strength and ability to wreak total destructive havoc before dying of heart failure. The Scarecrow resented Fright's success and the two constantly tried to undermine the other.

Duchess was secretly the New God Female Fury named Lashina. Her quest was one of vengeance to kill Luthor for arranging the death of her lover, the Daxamite known as Supreme. Lady Lunar was a former astronaut turned super villain whose simplistic goal was to kill Superman and Batman for the death of Moon Man.

Blackstarr was a Polish Jew once consigned to Auschwitz as a child. The Kommandant's daughter wanted a plaything so Blackstarr had been brought to her. Then the Germans were amazed to discover Blackstarr was a mathematical savant. When the concentration camp was liberated, the Kommandant and his family were tattooed and registered as Jewish prisoners.

The family moved to America where Blackstarr excelled her way through degree program after degree program as an adolescent. Thoroughly indoctrinated in Nazi ideology, Blackstarr cracked the secret of the Unifield Theory of Energy. Capable of controlling all forms of energy and most matter, Blackstarr reversed her own physical age to appear on the cusp of her thirties despite the ravages f time.

And Blackstarr organized Neo-Nazi groups throughout the Midwest. It seemed her party would rise to power before Supergirl, before she travelled into the future, confronted Blackstarr and eventually defeated her. Blackstarr retreated into obscurity until recruited by Luthor.

Luthor had assigned both the Fourth Reich and Axis Amerika to Disco Mummy's security detail. They chafed under Hummingbird's leadership. But they embraced Blackstarr as a fellow Nazi idealist despite her Jewish origins. Lady Lunar's blonde, blue eyed Aryan ideal realized looks also warranted a warm reception. The Nazis' smug, self conceits amused Duchess.

* * *

Hummingbird had set a patrol perimeter. Captain Nazi, Madame Libertine, Captain Murder, and Baron Blitzkrieg flew the patrol. Baroness Blitzkrieg, the Baron's great-granddaughter, ran it at super speeds. But it was Madame Libertine, Captain Nazi's great-grandniece, that spotted the Blackwater convoy.

In order to enhance communications through the gear in the vehicles, the Conglomerates and All Stars had unwisely chosen to arrive solely in the SUVs. Therefore they were unaware of Madame Libertine's spotting them and alerting Hummingbird as to their arrival.

Hummingbird staggered the defense along the route of the only road leading to the Nippur site. She took Lady Lunar, Duchess, and Blackstarr. Fright stood within the ziggurat's pinnacle entrance. The Axis Amerika took point while the Fourth Reich formed up as their reinforcement. The rivalry between the two would propel them to act out at their very best.

* * *

Mr. Terrific and Vapor conferred with the Blackwater personnel at the very edge of Nippur. The contractors would standby as medical support and for emergency evacuation. The specialist teams had been reduced to drivers and field medics before leaving Baghdad. So while the contractors had equipment and training to deal with metas, they were more than happy to assume a secondary role in this affair.

Members of the Conglomerate confronted Axis Amerika. The Axis team was led by Gudra, a Valkyrie Shieldmaiden of Odin, or Wotan as the Germans called him. She'd been cast out of Valhalla for choosing slain warriors based on sexual gratification rather than valor in battle. Gudra had briefly served with the abortive Shadowpact under Felix Faust's control.

Gudra had been among the Valkyrie that escorted Hitler's bomber in its effort to destroy the White House only to be thwarted by the mystery men that would soon permanently ally with one another in the Justice Society of America. So as Gudra aimlessly wander about modern Germany she began to encounter masked men trained to physical perfection and pursuing the Nazi ideal that had appealed to Gudra and her sisters. Her demigoddess status earned her the leadership of the Axis Amerika when it formed on United States soil.

Gudra disabled Red Tornado as he began to form cyclones with a spear through his chest chassis. Strange Visitor tried to ward Gudra off but the Valkyrie's sword cleft the electromagnetic blasts in two around Gudra. Starman stepped in, seeing a worthy opponent at last.

Prince Gavyn's survival startled everyone after he was expelled out an airlock and survived. He defeated his insane brother as he tried to kill their sister. Gavyn abdicated the throne of an interstellar empire so his sister could rule. Gavyn, having met Superman, travelled to Earth.

Recently, an envoy from his sister arrived to bequeath Gavyn his mentor's staff. His mentor had been the one to recognize the extent of Gavyn's solar powers and fashion the bracelets that allowed Starman to harness his abilities. Now he had the staff with which to focus his energies much the way the Cosmic Rod and Cosmic Convertor Belt harnessed cosmic energies for Stargirl.

The staff was hooked at one end and appeared to be rowan. But its origins were as unearthly as Starman's. Starman had already discovered the staff amplified his powers by a factor of ten. But just as he couldn't harness his own solar powers without the bracelets on, his amplification was utterly reliant on the staff being in his hands.

But Gudra's sword and breastplate were forged of metals beyond the Earth having been cast in Asgard. So she could cleave through his energy discharges as cleanly as she had Strange Visitor's. Gavyn switched tactics and decided to use the staff to simply brain Gudra instead.

* * *

Supergirl found herself facing down Kamikaze. The only Japanese member of the team, Kamikaze's armor and bullet shaped helmet essentially made him a human rocket with explosive discharges. But like most, he hadn't noticed the facial changes or uniform modifications that marked Matrix as Supergirl and not Kara In-Ze. Kara was in deep space fighting a war between Lanterns beside her love, the White Lantern named Kyle Rayner.

Kamikaze aimed himself, since he had very little maneuverability and applied thrust to ram Supergirl. Kara was Kryptonian and therefore virtually invulnerable under a yellow sun. Matrix utilized a telekinetic repulsion field to form barriers between her skin and incoming objects. It was as reflexive as it was natural to this Supergirl. But the end result was the same.

Kamikaze's helmet crumpled all the way to his skull until his rockets petered out. Then Supergirl ripped the helmet from his head and applied what was truly super strength to a right cross. But Matrix's natural strength, while beyond human, could be reinforced with a telekinetic "push" field that discharged from her body to augment her strength fifty times. And like J'onn's Martian Vision, Matrix had a telekinetic eye blast and no heat or x-ray vision.

Supergirl had no means of knowing Kamikaze had dreams of restoring Imperial Japan into prominence and even dominance over the world. As Hirohito had allied with Hitler so too would Kamikaze ally with modern Nazi forces. But Matrix wasn't even given time to contemplate questions to ask her prisoner as Vapor called her off to new tasks.

* * *

Horned Owl was essentially a Nazi-themed Batman. Maxi-Man wasn't quite certain where he fit in yet. Horned Owl was trained as an Aryan of Aryans. If Batman had any competitors they would include the Wrath, Darkwing, and Horned Owl. And that was discounting the Owlman from Earth-3.

Horned Owl was determined to bring back Nazi conquest through sheer force of will and brute physicality. He'd never known defeat. But he'd never faced a meta-human before. Maxi-Man's reflexes were as augmented as his supposedly uncharted strength. But the Conglomerate knew Maxi-Man could easily punch a hole in an armored tank.

The trainers at the Everyman Project deemed him ready to join the Conglomerate as a LexCorp representative. But Blue Beetle and the Super Friends believed otherwise. They'd drilled him and mentored him until they all left the Conglomerate to join the Justice League Unlimited.

Maxi-Man knew the Everyman Project hadn't enjoyed much success yet. Except for Trajectory, every member of Infinity, Inc. was deemed a failure. And Trajectory joined the JLA rather than the Conglomerate. But Maxi-Man knew Mercy Graves was negotiating with Claire Montgomery to include Skyman in the Conglomerate's ranks as well.

So Maxi-Man lacked the martial skill Horned Owl was so proficient at but if he could land a single punch square on, it would break or kill Horned Owl. So Maxi-Man merely hoped his reflexes were enhanced enough to keep him on par with Horned Owl.

* * *

Fledermaus was essentially Horned Owl's Robin. And he faced Gypsy. She judged him to be about fourteen, the age when she'd joined the first incarnation of the Justice League Unlimited. Now a wizened old nineteen, Gypsy felt ancient compared to the exuberant Fledermaus. Gypsy had been called up to rejoin the Justice League Unlimited when J'onn came recruiting at the Conglomerate's door.

He'd particularly pressured Gypsy seeing as he treated her like the daughter he'd lost on Mars. And that was precisely why she turned the JLU down. Since being forced off the Justice League, she'd had to act independently again as when she was homeless and first became counted as a superhero. She knew she'd surrender some of that self esteem to J'onn's desire to parent her. So she gratefully and reluctantly turned the offer down.

Fledermaus gulped when Gypsy apparently vanished. But he saw her shadows remained. He arrogantly assumed her could easily beat an old woman. Gypsy, on the other hand, had just completed her black belt in Judo. So she intended to give young Fledermaus the surprise of his life.

* * *

Echo and Reverb, inseparable now, faced off against Usil the Golden Archer. Usil was the Nazi Green Arrow. As skilled as Oliver Queen or Merlyn, Usil was better than Conner Hawke, Dark Archer, Speedy, or Arsenal. He had no basis for comparison against Nyssa Raatko but he looked forward to meeting her and seeing who survived the encounter.

Usil's first shot was deflected by Echo's reflection field. The second arrow was vibrated to pieces by Reverb. Usil fired three arrows in rapid succession and then cut to his left and rounded Echo. As he's suspected, her reflection field was unidirectional; and she couldn't bring it to bear in time to prevent him from putting an arrow in her ribs, puncturing a lung, and another in her abdomen.

Reverb roared his displeasure only to take two in the chest. Praxis intervened at that point, "Can you travel?"

"S…sure," Reverb gasped.

"Stay still," Praxis mentally summoned Blackwater support.

After his wounded comrades had left the field of battle Praxis wore a grim smile, "Let's see what you can ultimately do."

* * *

The JSA All Stars egress was prevented by the numerically superior Fourth Reich. Captain Nazi, Baron Blitzkrieg, Count Berlin, and Shadow of War were actually survivors of World War II that had been preserved by various means. So Sentinel, Flash, Wildcat, and Sand were familiar with them.

Baroness Blitzkrieg oddly chose Sentinel as a foe rather than the Flash. But her great-grandfather had regaled her through her youth regarding his battles against Green Lantern and his magic ring. Then the Green Lantern Corps had come to Hal Jordan among others later on. And the original Green Lantern became known as Sentinel.

Baroness Blitzkrieg couldn't care less what Alan Scott called himself. All that mattered to her was succeeding where Baron Blitzkrieg had always been frustrated. And to do that she would kill Sentinel using her super speed.

* * *

Captain Nazi was a Majestic-level meta. His meta-gene had been activated by his scientist brother, who preserved the process to later activate Captain Murder and his own great-granddaughter, Madame Libertine. Captain Nazi had been a model Waffen-SS officer before his gen factor was activated. Afterwards he embodied Hitler's ideal.

Captain Nazi's brother cryogenically stored him until after he'd failed to repeat his success with Captain Murder and achieved a repeat of his earliest achievement at gen activation. John Lynch had him killed and his notes destroyed after Madame Libertine was gen activated.

But Captain Nazi scoured the world with Madame Libertine and Captain Murder at his side recruiting for the Fourth Reich. And their goal was simplicity itself: to conquer the world in the name of National Socialism. And every Nazi agent from the past was delighted to know that the Justice Society and the All Star Squadron had survived the war as well and they and their heirs had simply combined the two agencies into the JSA All Stars.

And now Captain Nazi faced one of them. He'd fought Steel as a member of the All Star Squadron. Now he was preparing to battle the man's great-grandson, Commander Steel. And despite his experiences with Steel, he knew nothing at all about Commander Steel. He was in for a surprise.

* * *

Madame Libertine was the last of the Nazi line to receive Majestic-level power. Her great-grandfather had experimented on loyal Neo-Nazis with middling success. If the psychopathic Captain Murder counted as being a success that was. So Madame Libertine and Captain Nazi had fought side by side against the Marvel Family and fared as well as they could being a match for any Marvel but also being outnumbered. If it hadn't been for Captain Murder's surprise attack, none of them would have escaped.

So Madame Libertine was amazed that for all her speed, she couldn't lay a single finger on Judomaster. And even more surprised was that Judomaster had deduced her weakest points and could actually hurt her. An affront Madame Libertine vowed she would repay in kind.

* * *

Captain Murder was simply the victim of the process that gen activated her. In every case it had heightened subliminal traits. In Captain Nazi it ballooned his sense of superiority. It did the same for Madame Libertine's sense of entitlement. For Captain Murder it unleashed her latent homicidal tendencies. So now the world had a Marvel analog with the sensibilities of a serial killer.

Captain Murder had been shallowly briefed on the four Justice Leagues before the Justice League International collapsed. So she'd seen footage of Godiva in action. Which still left her knowing next to nothing about Goldilocks.

Captain Murder took to the skies to rain down on Goldilocks. She wasn't expecting the younger woman's hair to magically grow and wrap around her ankles and smash her face first into the desert sands. Captain Murder grinned as she wiped her raven hair out of her eyes and spat sand out of her mouth.

"Good, you're not helpless. This can still be fun," Captain Murder gleefully decided.

"We'll see," Goldilocks acted bored.

* * *

Nearby, the Shining Knight prepared to battle Hunter. Sir Justin of Camelot couldn't fathom that his enemy was the last of the Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Knights had formed during the end of the Third Crusade and were later pulled out of Outremer by the Pope and unleashed upon the Hungarians. Then the Pope desperately pitted them against the Lithuanians in an effort to get them far, far away.

The Teutonic Knights specialized in genocidal warfare, hunting down every last man, woman, and child, and hurling their corpses upon pyres. But all of that happened after Camelot had already fallen and Sir Justin had been hurled by Merlin from ACE 900 to 1942.

Hunter had led the Teutonic Knights against Prince Nevsky of Novgorod. Nevsky tricked the Germans into attacking across a frozen plain. Which was actually a lake. The Teutonic Knights sank and drowned almost to the last man. A bizarre set of circumstance including a lightning strike placed Hunter in cryogenic stasis. So when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, they found Hunter and revived him.

Hunter had been transported through time by pagan wizards who served Hitler and he'd emerged in the modern era a scant year before. But Hunter followed the protocol established by the Nazis and his signal brought Captain Nazi to him. And they planned on recreating the glorious battles of yesteryear.

Captain Nazi negotiated with Luthor that the Fourth Reich would rule Europe after Luthor established his satrapy for Apokolips and eventually dethroned Darkseid. And then Captain Nazi would kill Luthor and mount that throne as well.

* * *

White Dragon had held that rank amongst the Ku Klux Klan but they'd ejected him for being too radical even for a white supremacist group. Taking a band of loyalists, he attempted to destroy a chemical plant and raise a toxic cloud that would kill millions. But in the end, he was the only victim.

He spontaneously combusted and became a living pyrokinetic reaction. Nazi sympathizers fashioned him a containment suit and he was hidden away to train on how to use his abilities until Captain Nazi approached Blackstarr and her subordinates summoned White Dragon for membership in the Fourth Reich.

So Stargirl was blithely unaware of White Dragon's name, past, or abilities. But she was supremely confident she could blow this Human Bomb wannabe with her Cosmic Rod or Cosmic Convertor Belt. Courtney Whitmore was going to be disappointed regarding an easy victory.

* * *

Green Ghoul was not only a creature out of time but also out his native dimension. He was literally a large, green troll. He and Hunter had worked side by side before the Novgorod disaster, after Hunter's revival in the midst of World War II, and again now that Hunter had convinced her to step back into the mortal plane.

All Hawk knew was Green Ghoul was big, obviously strong, and pretty damn ugly. He looked forward to putting the troll in a hurt locker.

* * *

Dove recognized that Count Berlin had once been a vampire but like the Crimson Queen he'd moved beyond that state. Which allowed him to survive Drakul's death and the destruction of the vampire race. Dove didn't know quite how the Crimson Queen had transformed herself but the lurid scars all over Count Berlin's body told her he'd used surgical means to convert himself from being a vampire into something predatory but not conditioned to consume blood.

What Dove couldn't know is Nazi scientists had severed Count Berlin's ties to Mary, Queen of Blood. Then they had extended his ability to draw on his supernatural strengths and endure direct sunlight for several hours a day. And while it was true he still bit his victims he drew directly off of their life force rather than their blood. A surer way to infuse himself with their power. The more powerful the victim the greater the strength Count Berlin absorbed. And he sensed great power emanating from Dove.

* * *

Reichsmark had been a failed experiment during the last days of World War II as the Allies and Soviets charged into Berlin. But in the end, it proved to be a success. He was virtually immortal, aging a few weeks over the last seventy years. And he'd developed augmented strength and reflexes. Enough to make him a fair match for Aztek.

* * *

Captain Swastika was the Fourth Reich's answer to the Question. Down to the featureless head with a swastika branded across it. Wildcat could tell by the body language that Captain Swastika was a highly trained fighter. That suited Ted Grant just fine.

* * *

Jay Garrick, the one and only Flash once again, faced the cyborg called Dr. Demon. And as she ramped her clock speed up, Flash found himself actually being challenged and then threatened. He knew he'd have to be innovative to get past her defenses.

* * *

Anna Fortune studied Shadow of War. The cloud-like apparition truly was an embodiment of warlike sentiments. The conflict around them gave him strength. And he emoted the fear and dread that warfare caused. But Anna decided enough was enough.

* * *

Baron Blitzkrieg had been a special operative of the Waffen-SS before being horribly disfigured in combat. In unending agony, Blitzkrieg had been created when Hitler demanded his agents perform a radical experimental surgery that unleashed Baron Blitzkrieg's latent meta-gene. Afterwards, Blitzkrieg served as Hitler's chief agent in America.

But Blitzkrieg had served a lengthy prison sentence after the war and therefore naturally aged throughout the decades following it. Former SS breeding women gave him children and eventually his great-granddaughter exhibited a gen factor. Blitzkrieg was over a hundred years old but had the vitality of a man half his age. So he was Captain Nazi's chief advisor on the trappings and workings of history that led to the present.

Atom Smasher recognized Baron Blitzkrieg from the photos his god-father, Al Pratt, the original Atom had kept. He also knew just how old Blitzkrieg truly was. Atom Smasher chose to demonstrate what youth could do to a dried up old Nazi.

* * *

Baron Gestapo was the descendent of Nazis that fled to the jungles of Brazil after the war ended. He was a scientist that developed weaponized nanotech. His suit could fashion weapons derived from his imagination through a cybernetic link with his techno-suit.

And Lightning, sole surviving daughter of Jefferson Pierce the man once known as Black Lightning, had no clue as to what she was facing. But Lightning tended to be more enthusiastic than knowledgeable owing to her grievous inexperience. And she rarely wanted to study anything to help live long enough to gain any.

* * *

A mix of Conglomerate and All Stars forces engaged the deepest portion of Hummingbird's defense. Little Mermaid met Hummingbird in the skies. Ulla Paske didn't know what to make of her opponent. Hummingbird's wings were a natural extension of her body yet her French-laden accent bespoke of her being a native Terran rather than a Thanagarian.

And despite Hummingbird having a twin bladed pike, she also carried a conventional pistol. As the mysteries grew, Ulla realized that Hummingbird was graced with an agility in the air akin to Shayera Hol's rather than Hawkman's. Which meant she'd been flying her entire life.

* * *

Rising Sun fought against Duchess. While he had no idea of who she was, the energy her weapon discharged seemed vaguely familiar. He didn't know the weapon was merely a siphon to draw out Lashina's natural energies and aim them rather than charging her favorite whip. And as her shots neared him he realized they could easily kill him.

* * *

Mr. Terrific led a combined force against Blackstarr. Assisted by Cyclone, King Chimera, Jakeem Thunder and his Thunderbolt, Sand, and Dr. Mid-Nite, they fought against a woman whole could reshape reality and manipulate every conceivable form of energy. Mr. Terrific realized no one had any idea of what this woman was capable of and he really hated the idea of learning.

* * *

Vapor led an entirely Conglomerate force into the ziggurat. Supergirl, Strange Visitor, and Dr. Light were with her. Arguably the three most powerful members of the team. But none of them suspected or were aware of Fright's nearby presence. And they were ignorant of whether or not they could contend with her traps.

* * *

Red Robin asked for a moment alone with Ravager, "I'm uncomfortable with the general consensus that we have to kill the human hosts in order to drive the Daemonites out."

"I'll discuss it with father," Ravager promised.

But that conversation didn't occur. Slade rounded on Rose regarding her choice to involve Beryl in the first place, "I know you think you love her but you're young still. There will be others, men and women."

"Beryl won't let me down," Ravager promised, "She'll do what needs to be done and make this happen."

"Everyone lets you down eventually," Slade warned her. She suspected he was pointing a finger at her and her sexuality.

Ravager returned to Red Robin, "We have to kill every last one of them. It's the only way."

"So we do it," Red Robin grimly accepted the answer unaware that it came from Rose and not Slade or any other authority on the topic. This way, Rose considered, Beryl would prove herself to Slade.


	6. Chapter 6

13

Nyssa and Black Canary returned to the Welsh manor after Dinah had persuaded Talia's assassins to set aside their loyalty to her. At Nyssa's prompting she reminded everyone that they had sworn no oaths of allegiance to Talia al Ghul. She's merely ridden the crest of her father's influence. Even Darrk conceded that technicality.

Bringing Ducard, Lady Shiva, and Darrk into the discussion Black Canary reminded the gathering of the historical role played by the League of Shadows through their instrument of the League of Assassins. A role completely abandoned over the course of the last century. Black Canary urged everyone to resume their rightful duties and also to stand aside while Dinah challenged Talia for the right to ascend into being the Demon's Head.

White Willow reminded everyone that Talia was preparing a coronation whereby she would crown herself the Demon's Head without the approval of the League of Shadows or through the traditional rites of ascension. Gaining the title of the Demon meant the participant had to destroy where they came from in order to purge the past and grasp the future.

Talia had sent the League of Assassins to kill Nyssa rather than challenge her personally. A clear violation of the code. A code largely written and cemented by Ra's al Ghul himself during his centuries' long tenure as the Demon. Darrk recommended the League of Assassins stand down while Talia and Dinah battled to gain the approval of the League of Shadows and then satisfy the customary rites of ascension. Black Canary pledged to uphold League custom and law.

* * *

While Nyssa and Black Canary flew back to Wales, she courted her own doubts that Dinah could bring herself to destroy either Seattle or Starling City. Dinah had the capacity to kill and she was willing to do so without hesitation or remorse _if_ she saw it as serving a greater good. The question remained, would Black Canary see the death of millions as necessary?

Upon arriving at the manor, Cain made a full report regarding the Suicide Squad's attack. Cain also reported the findings King Faraday had sent Flagg. The Cavalry Corporation had blackmailed the US President into sending Task Force X after the Injusticers. As a precaution, the JLA was being tasked with apprehending all the surviving members of Team 7 with the exclusions of Steve Trevor and John Lynch. Relatives were included in that target list.

Ravager and Caitlin Fairchild were apprehension targets alongside Deathstroke, Black Canary, Grifter, Majestic, and Regulus. And the mission priorities explained why Uncle Sam was so willing to capture Odysseus. Capturing the Teen Titans was included in the Freedom Fighters' next mission objective.

Known associates were also being targeted. So Nyssa, Talia, I-Ching, Angelica, and Red Fury were all in the crosshairs. Nyssa studied the pattern, "It's clear to see that Cavalry is a Daemonite created and controlled asset. I wonder what is setting them off after all these millennia."

* * *

Gudra had already decided Starman was worthy of entering Valhalla even without pleasuring her. Gavyn had discovered Gudra's blade could absorb his solar blasts, so he used the staff as a weapon. And Gudra was pleased that he was the first mortal in a thousand years worthy of her attention in combat.

But she could sense he wasn't human. So she had no idea what fate lay beyond for him. And then Starman revealed he could fly and attack her from any angle. Gudra had never retreated from battle…until then.

The Valkyrie simply vanished from sight and Starman couldn't detect her presence anymore. But when Gudra departed from Midgard, her spear, imbedded in Red Tornado's chest, vanished with her. So Gavyn gathered Reddy up and took him back to the Blackwater formation so the android containing a living elemental could begin self repairs.

* * *

For all of Maxi-Man's strength and speed, he couldn't land a solid blow on Horned Owl. Maxi-Man was estimated by the Everyman Project to be as strong as a Martian, green or white, but that strength was useless when he couldn't land a blow. But Horned Owl had discovered Maxi-Man's endurance rivaled his own.

Maxi-Man's speed, strength, and reflexes were all above human norms but Horned Owl held every advantage when it came to training and experience. So he blinded Maxi-Man with a flash bomb and proceeded to beat him senseless. Then Horned Owl used a smoke bomb to cover his withdrawal.

* * *

Fledermaus tracked Gypsy's shadow and footprints in the rocky sand. But he couldn't overcome her because he still couldn't properly gauge where her body stood. Horned Owl's smoke bomb ended his protégé's frustration. Gypsy was driven off, coughing. Fledermaus rejoined Horned Owl.

"What do we do now?" Fledermaus asked excitedly.

"Now we see about assisting our fellow soldiers," Horned Owl truly saw himself as a warrior engaged in a holy crusade.

* * *

Praxis suspended every single one of Usil's arrows in midair. Then he reversed their direction and hurled them at Usil himself. The Golden Archer managed to evade a few but he received shallow wounds over fifty percent of his body.

"Go ahead and kill me, freak!" Usil shouted down Praxis.

"And what would be the point of that?" Praxis calmly asked as he put Usil to sleep.

* * *

Starman and Praxis were joined by Gypsy and then went closer towards the ziggurat. Praxis was convinced Vapor and the others inside were in danger. And they saw the path there was fraught with hazards.

* * *

Horned Owl woke Usil while Fledermaus awakened Kamikaze. Gudra reappeared, "Come with me. I've found us sanctuary."

"I despise running from a fight," Horned Owl admitted.

"But we've badly underestimated our foes," Kamikaze's eyes were glassy, indicative of a concussion.

"Where are we going?" Fledermaus asked.

"A castle converted into a Nazi prison. It's abandoned now and I've found an ally within its walls," Gudra told them, "Inside we will find allies, food, rest, and bandages."

"Lead on," Usil begged.

And they vanished.

* * *

At Blackwater's position on the edge of Nippur, Red Tornado had finished his diagnostics. He would be able to make limited repairs. His elemental power would be inaccessible but he could restore his ambulatory functions. Echo had been stabilized and she and Reverb were evacuated outside of the city so that Zinda could land the All Star Racer and get them premium medical attention elsewhere.

Terri Eckhart had only met Cisco Ramone once so she knew who Ramone was jealous of. But her heart was Ramone's for the taking. And Reverb was proving his love by not leaving her side despite his own injuries.

* * *

Sentinel had to hand it to Baroness Blitzkrieg, she'd adopted the old man's costume and mask despite her flawless features, and she moved as fast as any Kapitalist Kourier. But Sentinel was willing to wager her speed came from her mind rather than the Speed Force. So by wearing her down by keeping her in constant motion, he eventually forced her into passing out.

* * *

Captain Nazi was intent to make Commander Steel suffer for every indignity Steel had inflicted upon him. But Hank Heywood III hadn't received his physicality as a result of an accident. Hank had been systematically replaced and then trained on how to use his new body. And Steel had been an average brawler. Commander Steel was Wildcat's prized pupil second only to Black Canary.

So Captain Nazi discovered his American foe was a superior fighter than himself in comparison and practice. During the Second World War, Captain Nazi had retreated on less than a dozen occasions. And every one of those was a result of facing the wartime All Star Squadron. Never once before the Freedom Fighters or Seven Soldiers of Victory. But he fled now before Commander Steel's superior martial skills despite Captain Nazi's being stronger and faster.

Commander Steel decided to check in on Sonia Sato.

* * *

Judomaster was doing quite well, much to Madame Libertine's chagrin. Even given Madame Libertine's ability to fly and super speed, Judomaster was untouchable. Even when she was attacked from behind. Madame Libertine had never heard of or seen anything like it. Even Captain Nazi had never spoken of a foe with such a gift.

And Madame Libertine spotted her great-great uncle fleeing before the oafish American who now approached her. So she fled as well and left Commander Steel and Judomaster to have a quiet reunion. And she missed seeing that Judomaster could be touched when she wanted to be.

* * *

Goldilocks simply overwhelmed the "more" powerful Captain Murder with her hair. And she discovered that Majestic-level powers or not, Captain Murder still needed air to breathe. So Goldilocks choked her into submission. So the powerful and deranged Captain Murder was downed by a teenager.

But Goldilocks had seen the world and committed crimes in most of those countries. A pattern she was trying to break both for her late sister, Godiva, and the love of her distorted fairy tale life, Sir Justin. Goldilocks had worshipped Sir Justin for three years now. But he hadn't reciprocated those feeling until his wife, Tessa Richardson, was revealed to truly be Eve Aries, the Saturn Queen from the 31st Century.

But even now, Goldilocks wasn't certain Sir Justin had become her lover because he truly cared for her or because she was a proxy standing in for Saturn Queen's place. If Sir Justin was merely using her for sex, that was fine for a short time. But if he never grew to love her, she'd kill him and be done with it. After all, every fairy tale ended eventually. And "Happily Ever Afters" were tailored to an individual's needs.

Sir Justin was living in the thrill of knightly combat. In his day, young nobles were taken nearly from birth and trained as pages and then knights. Warfare was one's daily existence. If one wasn't actively fighting then one was planning the next fight. And in between were the tournaments.

Hunter had undergone all of the same training plus, where Sir Justin swore fealty to King Arthur, Hunter owed his allegiance to the Pope and had taken vows as a monk. Only Hunter had broken every vow and spat at the mention of the Pope.

The Teutonic Knights had carved out the nation of Prussia, now eastern Germany, amidst genocide. The Shining Knight was unaware of any of that history but he knew a killer when he saw one. So Sir Justin fought to preserve the present and safeguard the future.

But the battle dragged on and both knights were tiring. And then Hunter was bodily lifted off the ground by flaxen tresses and his face repeatedly smashed into the rocks. Then Goldilocks discarded him like so much flotsam.

"Milady!" Justin roared, "Thou hast interrupted a chivalric battle. My honor is stained by thee and thy interference."

Goldilocks met his outrage with a withering glare, "Excuse me all to death but we don't have all day for you two to beat your chests and each other. Look!"

Sir Justin followed where she pointed and was instantly humbled, "I beg thy pardon. Thou hast shown me the peril our brothers in arms face."

"And sisters in arms," Goldilocks chided him, "You can restore your honor by besmirching mine when we get to a decent bedroom."

"Yea, verily yea," Sir Justin enthused.

* * *

Stargirl was reevaluating all of her earlier assumptions. White Dragon was proving to be infinitely more dangerous than he appeared to be. So much so, Stargirl used the Cosmic Rod to levitate him far above the Nippur while she blasted away at the sand with the Cosmic Convertor Belt's star-like discharges. Then she dropped White Dragon in the hole and buried him.

"Flame guys can't be smothered, right?" she asked rhetorically.

* * *

"What do they call you? Fifty Shades of Green? Or maybe Shrek?" Hawk guffawed.

"They call me the fool killer," Green Ghoul chuckled at his own humor.

"I ain't nobody's fool," Hawk growled

"Then you're a bigger one than I already thought," Green Ghoul taunted him.

Being an Avatar of Chaos, Hawk was capable of displays of savagery worthy of a Lord of Chaos. And his strength and accelerated healing factor coupled with his finger protruding talons made him the equal of the evil brother of metal skeleton mutant in comic book and movie lore. He gutted Green Ghoul and then proceeded to tear the rest of him apart. When Hawk finished, Green Ghoul was a torn to shreds carcass.

"Better not let Dove see that," Hawk muttered, blithely unaware he was covered in gore and blood.

* * *

Dove's hyperawareness studied every aspect of Count Berlin. She saw his sunless pallor, the surgical scars, the razor fangs, and his overwhelming hunger. All of which she could use against him. He wasn't a creature of the day. His surgeries caused internal scarring which would impede his movements and his hunger would distract him and make him reckless.

As he repeatedly tried to grab her, and she broke his hold, she could sense he was some kind of psychic vampire. Much the way an incubus fed of sexual energy and vaginal fluid and succubi fed off of semen and sexual emotional activity, so Count Berlin fed off the soul itself. And the process began with physical contact.

So Dove deduced he'd been transformed into some form of touch telepath. He required contact to establish a mental link and access the life forces of a victim. So Dove made certain that the contact being made was at her instigation.

As the intense desert sun beat down on Count Berlin, he began to lose his supernatural strength. He fled rather than continue a losing battle. In doing so, he utilized flash bang and a smoke bomb and utterly disappeared so convincingly even Dove's heightened senses could determine how he'd done it or where he'd gone.

Then Dove sought out Hawk. When found him, she was at a loss for words and barely managed an, "Oh my."

"He gave as good as he got," Hawk was defensive.

"He's also healing," Dove pointed out, "Almost as fast as you do."

"Then everything is cool," Hawk boasted.

"Except you're a mess. They might not let you aboard the All Star Racer. And I'm not carrying you across the world," Dove warned him.

* * *

Aztek had discovered Reichsmark healed faster than Hawk. That rendered Aztek's mystical energy blast useless. Trusting his armor's capabilities, Aztek engaged Reichsmark in hand to hand combat. Discovering Reichsmark was a trained boxer, Aztek decided to mix it up incorporating kickboxing techniques with classical boxing regimes.

While Reichsmark had greater than average human endurance, Aztek's armor energized him with superhuman endurance and energy. So Curt Falconer wore Reichsmark down before plunging two fingers into his opponent's flesh and using his mystical discharges he rendered Reichsmark unconscious.

* * *

Wildcat recognized Captain Swastika's prowess but his initial assumption that the Swastika-faced moron was a goose-stepping clown was undiminished. And now Captain Swastika was boring Wildcat by getting chatty, "You mongrels will all bow down before the Master Race."

"And who is gonna lead? You?" Wildcat snorted.

"Vas?" that thought hadn't occurred to Captain Swastika before.

Wildcat's thunderous right cross spared Captain Swastika from pondering it further.

* * *

Flash was having a harder time against Dr. Demon than he cared to admit. Her cybernetics were equal to anything Vic Stone had ever possessed and she was just as skilled as Cyborg had been at using them. So, Flash was barely staying ahead of her attacks.

Then a green dome covered Dr. Demon and all of her attacks ricocheted and hit her, shorting out her cybernetic parts. Flash quickly joined Sentinel in checking her to make certain no life support systems had been damaged.

Flash chuckled, "Leave it to an engineer to just blow up the extraneous bits."

"And the gang is back together again," Sentinel nodded towards the approaching Wildcat; "Michael and Sandy seem to be having problems. Care to join me in helping their squad out?"

* * *

Anna quickly deduced the power emanating from Shadow of War was more than she wielded. So she carefully selected a spell casing from her bandolier and loaded in her arm cannon. Firing at the bilious Shadow of war, the casing detonated and surrounded the entity.

And it shrank to the size of a medicinal capsule. Anna picked it up an examined it, "As my darling Albert would undoubtedly say, 'Phenomenal cosmic powers…itty bitty living space'."

Atom Smasher was tiring as he threw himself at Baron Blitzkrieg again. He couldn't believe that a man that had to be a hundred years old could continually fend him off. But the Baron's psychic powers were even more powerful than had been described to Atom Smasher.

Then a translucent net wrapped around Baron Blitzkrieg and turned his own powers against him. So he knocked himself out. Al slumped as Anna approached.

"Thanks, Anna;" he was truly grateful, "That old buzzard is tough."

"Not to put a pall on the moment but that ziggurat is emanating the strangest form of arcane energy I've ever seen or detected," Anna pointed out, "It's natural, mechanical, and mystical all at once."

"Alan, Jay, and Ted seem headed towards it," Atom Smasher pointed out.

"I'd say their truer destination is that woman bedeviling our comrades." Anna said, "But everyone seems to be converging on that epicenter, one way or another and through distraction galore."

"Shall we?" Atom Smasher asked, "Because, honestly, do we ever turn down one of these opportunities?"

"Never shall we falter for adventure lies beyond," Anna laughed.

* * *

Lightning was surprised when Baron Gestapo's tech suit absorbed her initial barrage. So she ramped up her output and finally overloaded his defenses. His offensive capabilities shorted out as well. So she hit him with high voltage, low amps to knock him out without killing him.

Then Lightning almost swooned. She decided to rest up before following the others converging on the ziggurat. It was that or pass out entirely.

* * *

Little Mermaid was startled to discover Hummingbird could not only fly but she could hover and change directions and dart about almost instantly. But while Hummingbird held the advantage, she was still the first to withdraw. And Ulla couldn't figure out why.

Hummingbird made contact with Duchess and instructed the disguised Lashina on her next move. So Duchess blasted Rising Sun out of Nippur. And as Hummingbird expected, Ulla went after him rather than her.

"Disco Mummy is activating her infernal machine. We're no longer needed. Let me gather up Fright and Blackstarr and we shall be away from this wretched place," Hummingbird decided.

"I'll retrieve Blackstarr," Duchess offered and waded into the fight surrounding the Nazi Jewess.

Blackstarr's assault ramped up as Sentinel, Flash, and Wildcat led a charge of combined All Stars and Conglomerates. And she leveled them. Duchess applauded her.

But Blackstarr was exhausted, "I'm spent."

Hummingbird brought Fright out of the secret exit atop the ziggurat, "Do you have the strength to teleport us to India?"

"Of course," Blackstarr snorted as she created a quantum tunnel similar to Jenny Quantum's.

* * *

And they rejoined the Legion of Doom in the Hall of Doom.

Luthor confronted Hummingbird, "Where are the rest?"

"They failed," Hummingbird said dismissively.

"Can you bring them here as well?" Luthor asked Blackstarr.

"I can do anything," Blackstarr boasted, "And I will not abandon my comrades in arms."

And the Fourth Reich appeared before them. Luthor noted Axis Amerika's absence, "Where are the others?"

"They're hidden from me," Blackstarr advised Luthor.

"Very interesting," Luthor considered that.

* * *

Fright's fear gas hissed out of gas dispensers built into the ziggurat. Dr. Light panicked while Vapor became an acidic mist to eat away the gas. Supergirl and Strange Visitor were immune to the toxin it seemed. Vapor directed Supergirl to take Dr. Light away.

"Kimiyo needs open air to recuperate in. Try to find Izumi and he can care for her," Vapor instructed, "Sharon, we'll continue exploring until Mae returns to help us."

"I found the control center running this outer security system," Strange Visitor was literally peering through stone walls with her X-Ray Vision, "I'll use an EMP to shut it down."

"Anything else interesting?" Vapor wondered as she solidified.

"There are two hidden elevators and one visible. I'd guess the visible elevator is a trap," Strange Visitor ventured.

Vapor grinned, "You're learning."

* * *

Ulla brought Rising Sun back and he took over assisting Dr. Light. Supergirl began helping Ulla revive the fallen All Stars and Conglomerates. While they knew they needed everyone roused, they thought so for entirely the wrong reasons.

* * *

The United Security Council passed an emergency resolution condemning the action in Iraq. So the Justice League Unlimited was dispatched to issue a cease and desist order to the Conglomerate and JSA All Stars. If they collectively failed to heed it, an accompanying arrest warrant had also been issued by the World Court.

But Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Samurai balked at the prospect of fighting the Conglomerate. Similarly, Jesse Quick and Hourman protested the very idea of arresting the All Stars. Superman didn't take the dissent well.

"Stay behind then. We don't need you anyway," Superman grated, "The Justice League always worked best with just the seven founding members."

"Good luck with that," Blue Beetle said derisively, "There are only four of you now."

"Those that object to the mission can secure a perimeter around the Nippur site and guarantee the safety of the surrounding civilian areas," Barda amended Superman's dismissal.

He glared at her and she stared him down until he relented, "That's a good idea. But we can't have anyone in this League that isn't actually _with_ us and my mission."

"Who died and made him lord, god, and emperor?" Shayera whispered to John knowing full well Superman could hear her.

* * *

Sue repeated the orders, "The President wants you to intercept the Injusticers and arrest Black Canary."

"Didn't he just send Task Force X after them?" Colonel Steve Trevor asked.

"They were after the actual Injusticer groupings. Your mission is simply Dinah," Sue explained, "Everyone else is just collateral damage. But Dinah is with Nyssa Raatko and Nyssa leads the Injusticers. So it's just logical."

"Logical would have been to go after her when she first left," Question pointed out.

"Look, I've had the orders confirmed three separate times. They're getting rude about it," Sue looked defeated, "But it's better us than the Freedom Fighters or the Suicide Squad again. And afterwards, we're to go after every former member of Team 7."

"It's hard to hunt friends," Trevor objected, "Even if they have betrayed the ideals they once stood for."

"You'll find a way. You have to," Sue said grimly.

* * *

Task Force X was on mission standby. Multiple assassinations were in the docket. All of them fellow super villains.

Gwenn supervised debriefing the squad. Waller took Flagg's report personally, "Col. Flagg, I have the National Security Council driving up my ass to find out what went wrong and they seem to think that answer will be found in my rectum. You are still aware that by treaty we do not conduct military or clandestine operations in the United Kingdom and Canada. And I have to presume you're well aware that Wales is part of the United Kingdom. So what the hell were you thinking?"

"I got direct orders from POTUS. I showed them to Gwen. She's Welsh but she authorized the mission anyway," Flagg told her, "But you had to know about it."

"I didn't even know you'd left Belle Reeve until Oracle flagged me," Waller grated.

Oracle was an unknown hacker that seemed inescapable. The only clue that led to her identity is that she referred to herself with feminine pronouns. At one time Waller would have suspected the former Batgirl but Barbara Gordon was locked down tight in Blackgate Prison.

Fortunately for the United States, the hacktivist had a patriotic streak. So she'd been asked to assist Task Force X. Oracle also had a male competitor known as the Calculator. He was a failed super villain who was a premier employment referral and information broker now.

Previously that role had been filled by the mysterious Monitor. But his stealthed orbital habitat had been detected during the construction of the current Watchtower satellite station. The habitat self destructed when investigators went to approach it. No one had heard from the Monitor since that time. The Calculator had been his primary subcontractor so he simply assumed the role and took over the business.

Even Luthor did business with the Calculator. It was how most of his recruiting got done. But the Calculator had deduced the nature of the Daemonite threat so he gave the data to Oracle. And the scrubbed his tracks so Lord Daemonite wouldn't launch a reprisal.

Oracle pieced together an incomplete history of the Kherabim and Daemonite conflict on Earth Prime. She'd even discovered that one of ARGUS' premier clandestine agents named Backlash was half-Kherabim. Waller made certain Backlash was occupied elsewhere than the brewing battlefield between the surviving Kherabim and the remaining Daemonites.

The Suicide Squad was a commando unit designed to drop bodies all over the place and achieve very specific objectives. Fighting a war wasn't among their designed capabilities. But Waller's hand selected band of trigger happy murderers might have to win a war after all. But they'd do it in a fashion that best suited them.


	7. Chapter 7

17

Trevor and the JLA stormed Nyssa's Welsh manor house only to find the Injusticers were long gone. There were no records of any sorts. Not even sheets of paper. All the computer hard drives had been pulled out and taken as well. The Question had to admire their thoroughness. All that remained was an envelope addressed to Trevor. It said:

 _Hello Steve,_

 _I know about your new mission. As much as I'd like to see Slade, Dean, and Chuck go down for their multitude of crimes, they're engaged in a work that might just save the human race. Sick the Question and Ralph on the puzzle called the Daemonites and see what you come up with. In the meantime, I'll deal with Talia al Ghul and the Ubu clan._

 _Dinah_

"What do you make of this?" Trevor handed the note to the Question.

"She's surprisingly free of stress," he remarked explaining her handwriting was impeccable, "These 'Daemonites' and their counterparts, the 'Kherabim', come up routinely in my type of research. The Daemonites always represent a threat to the survival of mankind while the Kherabim are portrayed as being somewhat nobler but they're nearly extinct."

"So they're from Earth?" Trevor asked.

"Not even remorely," Question almost guffawed.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters staged from a rooftop across from Teen Titans Compound. Doll Man silently reconnoitered the compound exterior before returning to report to Uncle Sam. They made their plans to capture the Titans and made ready to get underway.

"I reckon we oughta start knockin' on them thar doors," Uncle Sam made certain his top hat was affixed firmly on his head.

Superboy and Wonder Girl answered the front door after Uncle Sam and Black Condor simply flew over the gate. Neither Titan seemed pleased to be receiving company. Especially the meta-human kind of company.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Superboy challenged them both.

"I reckon yore one of this here generation that don't subscribe much to patriotism. But I'm the livin' Spirit of America. And I'm here `cause the powers that be in this here great land have determined that yore a threat," Uncle Sam informed them.

Superboy and Wonder Girl exchanged blank expressions and shrugs. Wonder Girl asked the next question, "Who considers us a threat?"

"Why the duly elected government of these here fifty states," Uncle Sam seemed to be what he appeared to be. A walking, talking recruiting poster.

"Since when?" Wonder Girl scoffed.

"Since before we was given our marchin' orders, missy," Uncle Sam told her.

"So will you come with us willingly?" Black Condor broke his stoic silence.

"What do you think?" Superboy snidely asked.

"Boy, I know you've been angry since John Lynch birthed ya outta a test tube," Uncle Sam had read every Titan's file, "But Lynch created NOWHERE outta respect for this here country. He intended ta harness the meta-gene and use gen factors ta safeguard those of us here at home."

"Well, I don't have a meta-gene, now do I?" Superboy grated.

"Now I plum don't reckon I'd know. Ya are a blend of human and Kryptonian DNA so I don't rightly know if that qualifies or not. I guess we'd hafta ask that thar Lynch fella," Uncle Sam pleaded ignorance.

"I was told Lynch disposed of any clone or captured meta he didn't deem worthy of surviving," Wonder Girl quoted the survivors, "He held gladiatorial contests to determine who was worthy and who wasn't."

"Ma'am, I'm not at liberty ta judge things I never saw or heard about," Uncle Sam evaded the issue again, "But I do know our beloved President issued orders ta bring ya'll in so that's what we're gonna do all right. So are ya comin' peaceably or not?"

Superboy and Wonder Girl shared a mutual thought before saying their reply in unison, "Not."

"I plum already knew that, son," Uncle Sam said sadly as he caught Superboy's thrown fist. Wonder Girl engaged Black Condor. Uncle Sam fought back with a strength that rivaled the teen's own. Superboy had half of Superman's strength, speed, and durability. Uncle Sam met him evenly on all of these planes.

* * *

Wonder Girl, a child of Zeus, followed Black Condor into the air. There she snared him with her red lasso of thunder, given to her by Ares. It jolted him several times until he passed out. Then she gently lowered him to the ground and unbound him.

"I'm much obliged ta ya for not hurtin' Condor anymore than ya had ta," Uncle Sam repaid the courtesy by gently lowering Superboy and laying him out on the front paddock.

"Conner!" Cassie Sandsmark exclaimed.

She looped her lasso over Uncle Sam, who looked incredibly bored as she shot him with wave after wave of thunderbolts. Finally he yawned, "Does this get any more interstin' `cause frankly I'm bored ta tears."

He pulled it off of him and Cassie let loose with an all out barrage. Uncle Sam almost looked discomforted, "Gotta say, ma'am, that kinda tickles a mite."

Wonder Girl looked worried for the last few seconds she remained conscious. Uncle Sam threw the lasso over her just as she mentally triggered another cavalcade of electrical discharges. In effect, she stunned herself.

Uncle Sam checked on Black Condor, "Is ya okay thar, Condor?"

"First that Obsession woman and now her," Black Condor groaned as Uncle Sam helped him to his feet, "I'm beginning to hate women with electrical powers."

"Then I guess it's plum all right that our sweet Danette controls fire instead," Uncle Sam enjoyed watching the Native American actually turn red.

* * *

At the rear entrance, near the compound's pool house, Phantom Lady strolled through the gates as a shadow. Doll Man used his jet pack to fly over and follow her. Throwing back her hoodie, Phantom Lady rematerialized.

Four Teen Titans were gathered around the pool. Phantom Lady was not amused, "Seriously? It's _this_ easy to sneak up on you?"

Kid Flash created a wake in the water as he streaked out of the pool and towards Phantom Lady. Beast Boy was the next and he transformed into a green rhinoceros. Solstice's skin went black as she absorbed the ambient light contacting her skin.

"Here's the deal, you come quietly and we'll put a good word in for you," Phantom Lady offered.

Raven strode between the others, "What are you talking about?"

"We're serving an arrest warrant for all of you," Doll man explained, "You're expected to resist but if you don't then you can get better accommodations for cooperating."

Raven smacked the boys upside their heads for staring at Phantom Lady's ample cleavage. Both were practically drooling. She felt naseaum over it.

"What's the charge?" Raven inquired.

"Don't know and don't care," Phantom Lady said flippantly, "So will this be hard or easy?"

"Hard. Definitely hard," Beast Boy stammered.

"Yeah. What he said," Kid Flash agreed.

Raven and Solstice felt like dying. Raven grimaced, "This is where being half-demon has its advantages."

She touched both of their temples and pain seared through their skulls, "Stay focused, losers."

"I've got this," Kid Flash charged forward with his hands outstretched as if to grope Phantom Lady's breast. She absorbed him into the Phantom Zone and released him several seconds later.

He curled into the fetus position, "C…cold."

"What did you do?" Solstice frantically demanded to know.

"Don't know or care. He'll get over it," Phantom Lady shrugged. Beast Boy's rhino head bobbed as her breasts marginally lifted up and down.

Raven swore she'd kill him if they survived this. Solstice fired a beam of pure light at Phantom Lady. The Freedom Fighter responded by absorbing the beam into the Phantom Zone. Doll Man fired a miniature capsule at that exploded on her skin and covered her with a thick viscous foam.

"Brahma! What is this crap?" Solstice shrieked.

Phantom Lady's gauntlets projected phantom energy that she used to form constructs like a power ring's or the Titan named Bunker. She wrestled Beast Boy to the ground and pinned him inside a bubble when he reverted to his human form.

"Let. Him. Go," Raven advised, "He's an idiot to be sure but he's _my_ idiot."

"No," Phantom Lady stubbornly refused.

Raven detached her soul self and Doll Man snared it in a trap specifically designed for Raven. After her soul and body remained parted for too long, the self image shattered and Raven screamed and passed out.

"Not bad, Stormy. We took them all out in less than five minutes," Doll Man enthused.

"These gauntlets and suit are sooo much better than my old phantom ray gun," Phantom Lady did some enthusing of her own.

"Yeah, sure. But look at the tools I have at my disposal since we joined ARGUS," Doll Man practically swooned, "I might even be able to reverse my condition and make my size changing a willing variable like the Atom's."

"But I like dressing you in Barbie Ken doll clothes," Phantom Lady smirked.

"And I like taking showers with you," Doll Man grinned appreciatively.

"Can't have you drowning, can I?" Phantom Lady asked affectionately.

"I don't trust this Lynch guy," Doll Man abruptly changed the subject, "Three days ago, he was the wanted fugitive."

"Maybe, but we worked with everyone, even Stalin, back in the war," Phantom Lady reminded him.

"And look how that turned out for Russia," Doll Man kibitzed.

* * *

Human Bomb removed his gloves and tucked them into the belt of his protective gear. Placing his hands on the garage doors, he charged them into explosive release. As they exploded, Bunker erected a construct wall. Skitter and Miss Martian readied themselves for a confrontation with unknown assailants.

Firebrand exuded flames as she casually strolled inside followed by Human Bomb, "I advise you to surrender There's no way you can win."

"Go!" Bunker yelled at M'gann.

A wave of flames cascading against Bunker's barrier and she saw the wisdom in his words. Firebrand frowned as the Martian fled, "Okay, we do it your way."

Danette Reilly nodded to Human Bomb and he placed a hand against the barrier wall and began to infuse it with explosive energy. Bunker could feel it, "What the hell?"

His construct exploded and knocked Bunker out. Skitter pulled off her sun dress and stripped out of her bra and underwear and transformed into her insectoid form. And then she attacked Firebrand.

Human Bomb grabbed a hold of Skitter's Stinger and blew it apart. She went down with a buzzing whimper and curled into a ball. But Firebrand used a finger to cauterize the wound.

"You'll be fine," Firebrand assured Skitter, "Damn, we lost the Martian."

Human Bomb pulled his gloves back on, "She'll turn up."

"Fire is her worst enemy," Firebrand reminded him, "And contained spaces work against her. If she breaks out into the open against the others, she'll escape."

"We'll deal with it when it happens," Human Bomb promised her.

* * *

Invisible, M'gann checked on everyone else before descending into the basement. There Jason Todd was in the lab with Caitlin Fairchild. Alone of everyone today, Jason was geared up as Red Hood except he'd removed his helmet. Jason was arguing, as usual, with Caitlin.

"Why are you still working with ARGUS?" Jason was adamant, "They're the parent agency that created NOWHERE."

"ARGUS is tapping into a new level of gen research," Fairchild replied, "They've discovered key facets to harnessing the meta-gene within the gen active. Now they're looking into being able to deactivate gen factors."

"Of course, because you want to deactivate your own gen factor and crawl away into a typical life," Jason accused.

"Is that so wrong?" Fairchild snapped at him.

"You're a coward," Jason sneered.

"The Titans have fallen!" M'gann announced as she became visible again.

Fairchild activated the security monitors, "Oh God, she's right."

Jason strapped on the Red Hood, "Let's get some."

"Who are they?" M'gann wondered.

"Recognition software labels them as the Freedom Fighters," Fairchild paused, "They're ARGUS agents."

"See?" Red Hood pointedly humiliated her.

Fairchild ejected two 2 terabyte drives and put them in a duffel. Then she engaged the lab's self destruct, "Follow me."

Reaching the end of the hall, she opened a secret door leading to a storm drain, "Gar had this escape route constructed when he had the compound built."

After the escaping Titans had made it a block away, Fairchild collapsed the drain tunnel. Then they went another block and came up through a manhole. M'gann transformed into Megan Morse.

"I'll go see what's happening," she offered.

"I'll get us some wheels," Red Hood promised. They left Fairchild literally holding the bag.

Megan returned first, "All sorts of law enforcement have converged on the compound. Most of them are ARGUS."

"But why?" Fairchild agonized.

A Mercedes SUV pulled up and Jason had his helmet off again, "Get in."

"Where do we go?" Fairchild asked as Jason pulled away and prepared to leave San Francisco.

"We need help," Jason admitted.

"J'onn," M'gann suddenly blurted, "We need to find J'onn. And then he'll persuade the Justice League to help us."

"Brilliant," Fairchild enthused.

Jason was still skeptical.

* * *

Bluebird was working clandestinely with Harvey Bullock to clear Barbara Gordon. Bluebird was a new vigilante to appear since the breakup of the Bat Family and the outlawing of vigilantism in Gotham City. On a personal note, Harper Row had gotten her GED at age 16 and been hired by Gotham's Public Utility District as an electrical engineer under union rules.

Harper roomed with her younger brother Cullen and Stephanie Brown, the JLer known as Spoiler. Bullock suspected it would be easy to track the blue-haired, Mohawk bearing Bluebird down and discover who she really was. But he refrained. To know would oblige him to arrest her. Anonymity prevented that.

The GCPD was toying with meeting a man in a mech suit dubbed the "Bat" in order to create their own "Batman". Bluebird knew she'd be one of the wearer's targets so she'd already devised several ways to disable the suit.

The rendezvous was held in Crime Alley. Unbeknownst to Bullock, Spoiler was on a nearby rooftop watching over the proceedings. Her JLA credentials could save Bluebird should other cops arrive and Bullock would be forced to arrest his contact. Spoiler would then reveal herself and take custody of the "prisoner".

"What do you have for me, Detective?" Bluebird asked Bullock, who still hated to be called by his new position as the lieutenant in charge of Robbery-Homicide within the GCPD.

Bullock handed over copies of the file against Barbara Gordon. Then he handed off a flash drive with purloined video footage, "This is what I got. I just can't say who it was from."

"Oracle contacted me and told you'd reached out to ARGUS. She flagged you and recreated the 'destroyed' security video footage of the Commissioner meeting the four strangers. I'm to relieve you of it and make certain the GCPD doesn't get it back until Gordon can be exonerated," Bluebird explained.

"But the footage…" Bullock started to protest.

"Possibly links them to the crime," Bluebird quoted Oracle, "But all it looks like is they had a peaceful chat with Gordon and five minutes later she's a crazed killer. Poignant but circumstantial at best."

"Look, I got yer back until this blows over and the Commish is reinstated," Bullock promised her, "But afterwards ya might think about hangin' up yer mask in this town."

"And if they don't reinstate Gordon?" Bluebird wondered.

"I'll turn in my shield," Bullock threatened no one in particular.

"Let's hope that doesn't have to happen," Bluebird began climbing fire escapes to reach Spoiler on the roof, "I got everything Channel M should need. With them included everyone with a Channel M transmission mask can be watching out for the four mystery people and broadcast it back to the Movement."

" _If_ they're spotted," Spoiler warned Bluebird.

* * *

The Gang flew back into Gotham after leaving precise instructions for Gun Moll Flanders. Luthor had taken personal interest in the Gang's efforts to undermine Intergang's hierarchy. He'd applauded their using Barbara Gordon to gun down several GCPD detectives and get arrested herself for the attack. The Gotham Police were rudderless while Internal Affairs investigated the incident and Barbara wiled way her time in Blackgate.

But the desk sergeant on duty that night had seen the Gang speak with Barbara. So he had to be eliminated. Brains had effectively scrambled to digital footage of the event. But the lone sergeant was singing like an incriminating canary. So they decided to settle matters personally.

And, Brains' latest scheme to break Barbara out of Blackgate and hide her until she was useful again was met with rousing applause from Lex Luthor. The trip would be a short one. First they'd kill the witness and then after lunch engage in a prison break. It would be an interesting day after all.

* * *

Penny and Hula Hula accompanied Plastic Man on the JLU's Iraq mission. Shayera had convinced Superman to recruit Plas based on his experience with the Agency and its successor, the ISA. Superman could hardly look past his time with the JLA. A prejudice the Atom reinforced. J'onn went into closed quarters to argue for Plastic Man's inclusion and that of Penny and Hula Hula.

But it was an open secret the trio was unhappy. Penny and Hula Hula felt marginalized and Plas felt the disdain of the faction led by Superman. The group had come together and had already put in a request to rejoin the JLA. But Waller wanted them imbedded inside the JLU for their earliest missions as part of the United Nations once again.

So the troubled trio set up shop with the Blackwater contractors and assisted Red Tornado in repairing himself. While Penny worked on getting Reddy up and running, Hula Hula analyzed the situation with the Blackwater team and Plas stood vigilant to repel any of the fighting that headed their way.

"Plas?" Penny approached her husband.

"What is it?" he gently asked.

"Echo and Reverb were hurt. They got airlifted out of the country," Penny reported.

"Airlifted by who?" Plas wondered.

"Lady Blackhawk," Penny smiled.

"Ours or the new one?" Plastic Man had to ask.

"Ours, silly," Penny chuckled, "She goes by her real name now. Which is Zinda Blake, by the way."

"Zinda?" Plas had to ask.

"Long story," Penny revealed, "Ah'm sworn to secrecy."

"Aren't we all?" Plastic Man said miserably.

* * *

Hourman and Jesse Quick set up in nearby Nuffar. Both Rick Tyler and Jesse Chambers resented the UN for ordering their new team to effectively shut down their old team. And they resented Superman for insisting on doing the deed himself rather than allow Hourman and Jesse to talk Mr. Terrific and Vapor down and explain the situation to them. Disco Mummy was tied into billions of dollars of international financing for rebuilding Iraq and Babylon. Dreams lingering from the times even before Saddam Hussein.

But Sentinel, Flash, and Wildcat were the last of the original dozen "mystery men" that appeared in 1938 and inspired all of the costumed heroes that followed. Even Superman and Batman were weaned on their legends. And thanklessly all that legacy earned was a boot intended to drive them from the country.

* * *

Blue Beetle, Fire, and Ice set up in another section of Nuffar. Ted Kord, Beatriz de Costa, and Tora Olafsdottir had no idea of how they'd respond if summoned to attack the Conglomerate. But old, but still fresh, loyalties died hard.

* * *

The Super Friends were in the midst of a dilemma. They'd worked for the Global Guardians until the brief period between the Guardians' tenure with the UN and the beginning of the JLU's when they alone served at the behest of the UN. Joining the JLU, they were members when the JLU incorporated the revived Justice Society. After the JLU and the UN parted ways, the three men had refused to work with Dr. Mist and his Justice League International. And that agency too had crumbled like a forgotten dream.

Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache Chief conferred over the matter. And the common consensus was that Superman so desperately wanted to be accepted by the UN he was blinded to the consequences of the actions they set him on. A blindness that could prove detrimental in the future if not at that very present.

* * *

Superman led the others in confronting the recuperating All Stars and Conglomerates. He seemed to recall there being more them. Where were Sharon Vance and Matrix, for example.

"Stand down and withdraw from the country," Superman's lung power allowed him to announce to the entire Nippur site.

"And if we refuse?" Mr. Terrific asked.

"We make you leave by placing you under arrest and delivering you to the World Court," Superman warned them all.

"I seem to recall you accusing the JLA of being strident," Flash remarked.

"And I seem to recall the three founders of the Justice Society considering retirement," Superman retorted, "Consider this your going away party."

Sentinel's ring began to emanate green flames and Superman prepared to attack him first. Then Atom Smasher stomped on him. He reduced his height considerably as Wildcat was joined by Commander Steel, Hawk, and Maxi-Man in surrounding the flattened, but now rising, Superman.

"You'll all regret this," Superman warned them.

"Not as much as ya will, ya pompous twit," Wildcat spat at the dirt.

Maxi-Man made the first move and he actually staggered Superman with his punch. Maxi-Man's muscle density gave him comparable strength and durability as Hourman under the influence of Miraclo. But he wasn't prepared for the Kryptonian's answering right cross.

Hawk and Commander Steel came at Superman in a coordinated attack worthy of those trained the Justice Society Founders. Hawk's talons had an extra advantage in that they were magically derived therefore tore at Superman's flesh as though he were a mere mortal. But Superman managed to drop them both and Maxi-Man as he came back for more.

He toppled Atom Smasher and landed before Wildcat. Wildcat just grinned, "Ya ready ta give up, ya poozer?"

"Ted, you're just an ordinary man," Superman advised him.

"Then ya shouldn't be pissin' yer pants right now, should ya?" Wildcat taunted him.

* * *

Barda clipped her mega-wand to her belt, "I'll fight you on nearly equal terms. But you should probably grab a few more for your side."

Dove whispered into Judomaster's ear. And then they struck in unison. Barda nearly laughed the blows were surgically precise but they didn't inflict any lasting damage. It wasn't until Dove simply shucked Barda out of her armor that the New God realized what had happened.

Barda threw backhand blow that Dove simply cross blocked before lifting into the air and setting herself several feet back. Dove was now in front of Barda and Judomaster was behind her. They thought she'd be blindsided. She scoffed at the very idea.

The two All Stars came at Barda again only this time their surgical precision inflicted real harm.

* * *

The Green Lantern fought the former Green Lantern. John and Alan Scott wrestled using their ring constructs. Like John's GL Corps ring, Sentinel's ring was operated through will but it was also governed by imagination. And John found himself sorely lacking in that arena as Sentinel threatened to tear him apart.

Meanwhile, Anna and Praxis discussed various occultic matters while waiting to see if they might just be needed.

* * *

Shayera was infinitely more graceful in the air than Rising Sun but the Japanese physicist was ruthless in the application of his powers. And King Chimera had duplicated illusions of Rising Sun all around Shayera so she couldn't track who was actually hitting her with solar energy bolts.

Cyclone called out, "Please stop fighting or I'll have to get involved."

Shayera wondered where the threat lay in that. Cyclone was inexperienced and tentative in applying her tornado creating powers. So Shayera continued fighting.

* * *

The Martian Manhunter knew Starman was powerful but Stargirl was developing into one of the most formidable people on the planet. Her gravitic bending and stellar energy discharges coupled with Starman's solar rays caused J'onn to go invisible. He chose to explore the ziggurat everyone seemed to have been focused on.

* * *

Aztek and Lightning kept Captain Atom distracted until Jakeem Thunder ordered the Thunderbolt to encase Captain Atom in a shielded core sphere to restrain him and his quantum energy and radiation. Jakeem was more than happy to take the kudos offered him.

* * *

Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite were superior hand to hand combatants compared to Atom but his size changing tactics gave him a seemingly unbeatable edge. And then a toppled road signed clocked Atom in the head. Gypsy became visible once again.

Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite subdued Atom and he would sleep it off.

"Thanks," a very grateful Mr. Terrific offered her.

"Comes with the territory," Gypsy said, wisely beyond her years.

* * *

J'onn came upon the afflicted Dr. Light. Peering into her nightmares, he joined her mind and prepared to soothe her fears. And they were left alone to do so.

* * *

"Please stay back," Power Ring pleaded, "I'm still learning to control my ring. It literally has a mind of its own."

"Miss, we can't vacate the premises yet. We have personnel inside that structure and we're not leaving without them," Flash tried to be reasonable.

"But the United Nations doesn't want you inside of it at all," Power Ring told him and those with him, "They sent us to enforce the order to withdraw."

"Not happening," Sand retorted, "Not without our people."

"I could get your people out if you leave now," Power Ring offered.

"Nay, we shalt not abandon our own to a stranger who threatens us with wanton violence," Shining Knight countered.

Power Ring stared at him as if to determine if he was sane. Goldilocks interceded, "Don't mind them, luv. How about a compromise? I go with you inside and talk down those in there and you bring us all out together?"

The Ring of Volthoom whispered to Jessica Cruz. It told her Goldilocks was immune to its fear generating psycho probes. She would be unstoppable in combat.

"I agree," Power Ring decided.

* * *

Supergirl was rejoining her teammates within the ziggurat. They'd taken the opposite, hidden elevators, Matrix opted for the certain death elevator. She thought it would be fun to see what Disco Mummy had devised as a certain death trap.

* * *

The former Black Marvels saw Pandora off as she travelled to meet up with the House of Mystery. Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman were taken to the airport so they could return to Fawcett City within the United States. Mary said farewell to her brother and her close friend.

Shazam summoned her to the Rock of Eternity where he was healing after his ordeal, "Will you abandon your power now that the other Marvels have rejected the power source now that it is revealed to them?"

"No," Mary said succinctly.

"I sense a hunger in you that I have never felt before," Shazam warned Mary, "The Egyptian pantheon provides you your power still but I regulate the gift. From herein you will receive a single grant of power and not those from Earth-3."

Shazam could see her anger written on her face, "This is unlike you, Mary. This path is what drove Mistress Mary to her corruption."

"I'm not Mistress Mary," she said haughtily, "I'm Black Mary."

"So you are," Shazam sounded defeated, "The All Stars are gathered and are in peril. They could use your help."

"Point me to them," Mary requested. Shazam did so and she shouted his name and Black Mary left the Rock of Eternity with a purpose.

* * *

The Gang arrived at Blackgate having already killed the desk sergeant that saw them at the GCPD the night Barbara Gordon executed a dozen detectives. And now they meant to liberate Barbara. Brains reviewed a City Archives schematic of the prison.

"Kong, you and Bulldozer will come in through the exercise yard and meet Ms. Mesmer and I at solitary confinement," Brains instructed.

"We'll be going in the front door," Ms. Mesmer snickered.

"And you'll be the center of attention, guaranteed," Brains promised her, "And you'll fashion yourself a private army."

* * *

Kong called Brains as he and Bulldozer set up their incursion. Brains and Ms. Mesmer were already through the front gates and inside the prison, so the men were a 'go'. Kong snapped a steel fence post off at its base and shoved the fence aside.

"The door is yours," he told Bulldozer.

The towers had lights on them as Bulldozer lowered his head and rammed the door down and kept going. Kong waved at the towers as they set up to start shooting. He was inside before they were ready.

Bulldozer rammed his way through the surging guard response. Kong simply smashed or broke any guards that got past Bulldozer's wake. Then guards began fighting guards as Ms. Mesmer's loyal forces arrived.

She instructed her mesmerized guards to release the inmates. So Blackgate emptied into the streets where the GCPD was responding to the prison's desperate pleas for assistance. Bullock was among them.

Kong ripped the door off Barbara's cell. She eyed them suspiciously, "Do I know you?"

"Let her remember," Brains instructed Ms. Mesmer.

And she released the hypnotic hold on Barbara's memories. Barbara screamed in rage as she attacked the Gang. Kong deflected her but she took the blow against the concrete wall and came back at them. Bulldozer smashed her against the far wall.

Barbara slumped to the floor in a daze. Brains reviewed Gordon's time in prison. Barbara had survived rape gangs, assassination attempts, being jumped by the entire yard. Brains still found it odd Barbara was housed with the male population rather than the women's ward until she saw the prison administrators had correctly assumed she could easily break out of the women's section.

But in defending herself, she'd critically injured over two dozen inmates and more were lined up to take their shot at her. Brains considered releasing Gordon to be a favor for her. Ms. Mesmer hypnotized Barbara again and got her mobile. So the Gang stepped out through the yard and a helicopter picked them up chartered to a known Intergang affiliate.

Countless cops had seen her go with the unknown costumed meta-humans and get into the helo. And the press outlets saw it too. And it ran the evening news.

* * *

"Ya took yer time getting' here, kid," Bullock complained from his usual corner in Crime Alley.

"I've been trying to run down the identities of the people that took Gordon," Bluebird answered, "My friend, Spoiler, is running them through JLA and ARGUS resources. But first and foremost, I need the registration numbers on that helicopter that snatched everyone of importance."

Bullock gave her a notepad, "Here's everything the PD has."

"The flight went to Metropolis as hired by a known Intergang outlet," Bluebird read Bullock's summary, "Metropolis police found a corresponding charter to Coral City."

"An' Coral is so corrupted that it makes Gotham seem like Metropolis," Bullock groaned.

"I have friends there," Bluebird revealed, "The type that love to ruin bad guys' days."


	8. Chapter 8

17

The struggle between the JLU and the combined All Stars and Conglomerates intensified despite no one side wanting to inflict harm upon another. Wildcat knew he ultimately couldn't beat Superman. But he could distract him and delay him from harassing others until a means was devised to stop him.

And while Wildcat successfully fended off his Kryptonian opponent, Hawk, Maxi-Man, Commander Steel, and Atom Smasher rejoined the fight. True to his personal code, Superman refused to permanently damage them. But he wouldn't allow them to remain in Iraq either. But it soon became apparent he couldn't do both.

* * *

Barda had to applaud Dove and Judomaster. Each was her equal in some way. They continually denied her access to her mega-wand and they blocked every avenue of escape. But Barda wasn't above crippling her opponents. And finally she reached the conclusion that was her only remaining option.

* * *

Praxis began assaulting John's mind while he fought Sentinel. Anna added a capture weave bolstered by Sentinel's ring and Praxis' mental energy. And John found himself truly captured.

* * *

Shayera wondered why Rising Sun joined King Chimera to hit the dirt. And then a gust of wind caught her and began to swirl her about. Cyclone's tornado was a massive effort beyond anything Shayera had ever seen from her before. And Cyclone never lost control.

Shayera was ingloriously driven into the ground as the tornado vanished as swiftly as it had arisen. Rising Sun used a judo chop to knock her out. Something Shayera would be grateful for later.

* * *

Captain Atom sulked inside the Thunderbolt's prison. He'd barely put up a fight before a fifteen year old punk kid with a magic Thunderbolt stopped him cold. He morosely wondered how Nightshade would take the news.

Aztek agreed to stay with Lightning and Jakeem safeguarding the Thunderbolt's construct in case Captain Atom should devise a means to escape. But Jakeem and the Thunderbolt both were confident, perhaps overconfident, that wouldn't happen. And Aztek knew just how resourceful JLers could be.

* * *

Mr. Terrific disconnected Atom's dwarf star powered size controllers and removed the triggers. Dr. Mid-Nite bound Atom up and then they stood guard. Gypsy began to wonder why.

"Because we're just a distraction," Dr. Mid-Nite revealed to her, "Vapor and her team inside the ziggurat are doing the real work now. We're just delaying the Justice League long enough for them to apprehend Disco Mummy."

"And when Superman and Barda get tired of being delayed?" Gypsy had to wonder.

"Then we do what we can to slow them down," Mr. Terrific grimly pronounced.

Gypsy wondered if she was going to die today.

* * *

Power Ring levitated Goldilocks up to the ziggurat's entrance. Goldilocks waved Jessica in with a sweeping hand gesture and a hair gesture as well. Power Ring looked discomfited.

"What?" Goldilocks inquired, "You have a ring that probes psyches and hands them horrors and my hair bothers you?"

"My ring probed your mind. It's afraid of you," Power Ring revealed of the Ring of Volthoom.

"It should be," Goldilocks promised.

* * *

Black Mary landed in between Superman and Barda. She did so with enough force it was registered as a seismic event. Everyone was startled.

"Mary…Marvel?" Superman guessed.

"Black Mary now," she said irritably, "Why are you attacking my teammates?"

"Where's the Marvel Family?" Superman asked.

"Billy and Freddy are no longer Marvels," Black Mary explained, "Neither are Teth-Adam nor Adrianna. I'm the world's only Black Marvel now."

"Why?" Barda wanted to know.

"We finally learned the true nature of the 'gods' that give us our power," Black Mary reported, "No one else wanted the power anymore. I did."

Barda wore a clouded look. Unlike the demons professing to be gods, the New Gods were a race of alien beings that considered themselves to be truly godlike. But every New God knew where Shazam drew his power from. It's why the power tended to corrupt those given across the fifty-two universes of the Multiverse. Mary was right about one thing, she _was_ the last Marvel, black or otherwise, except for Mistress Mary and her sex toy brother, Billy.

"Why are you here?" Superman demanded to know.

"I was told the All Stars needed help," Black Mary confessed, "Now, why are _you_ here?"

"We're evicting the All Stars and the Conglomerate out of Iraq on UN orders," Superman declared again.

"I don't think so," Black Mary growled her challenge.

* * *

Penny and Hula Hula stayed with Reddy and Blackwater Security while Plastic Man marched on Nippur to investigate the tremor. Elsewhere, Apache Chief, Samurai, Black Vulcan, Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, and Hourman did the same. Jesse was already on site to see Black Mary confronting Superman and Barda.

Jesse joined up with Flash, Sand, and Sir Justin. The others joined them as did J'onn and the cured Dr. Light. Supergirl emerged out of the ziggurat, having felt the tremor while she was underground. She stood by Black Mary and Superman hesitated.

"Now is not the time, Matrix," he warned her.

"I don't think there's ever been a better time," Supergirl argued.

"Say what you have to say before I start removing obstacles, including you," Superman advised her.

"Do you remember visiting my Earth?" Supergirl asked him.

Matrix came from a pocket dimension outside of the Multiverse. It was constructed by a being known as the Time Trapper and contained only two inhabited star systems: Earth's and Krypton's. It was an effort to create a Superman that became a Superboy beforehand and inspired the Legion of Superheroes. But when the Time Trapper echoed his worlds, he forgot that other people other than the intended Superboy would live upon them.

"Of course," Superman wondered where this was headed.

"So you also remember General Zod, Ursa, and Non?" Supergirl sharply inquired.

Zod, Ursa, and Non were Kryptonian criminals condemned to the Phantom Zone. But they found a way to free themselves and travelled to the only other inhabited world in their universe. And they killed Superboy and enslaved that Earth.

"Of course I do," Superman impatiently waited for the punch line.

"Then stop acting like them," Supergirl coldly instructed.

The implication staggered Superman. Supergirl wheeled on him once again, "You swore an oath to protect the people of this world. So have we. Why are we in conflict?"

"Because Disco Mummy has important friends in positions of power," Flash interrupted. Jesse stood beside him, "She's financed rebuilding archeological treasures of ancient Babylonia and has made friends with financiers from many nations in doing so. Especially those that have sway within the UN's halls of power."

"How can you confirm that?" Barda asked.

"Because Power Ring told me and Saturn Queen told her," Flash revealed.

"Saturn Queen is still in this century?" Superman was aghast. Sir Justin was also stricken by the news.

"Apparently," Flash shared, "And she's broken faith with Luthor."

"What does that mean?" Superman had to ask.

"I have no idea but I'm certain we won't appreciate the answer," Flash admitted.

* * *

Vapor and Strange Visitor exited separate elevators. Vapor found herself facing the tunnel system that led out to the hidden airstrip. Strange Visitor ended up in the actual bunker housing the chaos engine. Strange Visitor paused and waited for Vapor to join her.

Reunited, they heard the death trap of the third elevator go off and Disco Mummy's evil laughter filled the space. Vapor plaintively looked to Strange Visitor. She viewed the elevator's interior space with her X-Ray Vision.

"There's no one in there," Strange Visitor whispered, "Oops. Scratch that. No one is in there anymore. Whoever was in there ripped the roof off and exited back up the shaft."

"Sounds like Mae all over again," Vapor grinned.

"This place is huge," Strange Visitor realized as she sent out radar pulses, "It has to encompass most of Nippur."

"Any idea of which way to go in this maze?" Vapor wondered.

"Something's drawing a lot of power thattaway," Strange Visitor pointed.

"Thattaway?" Vapor teased her, "How precise."

They were bathed in green light as Power Ring and Goldilocks found them. Vapor's grin grew, "Welcome to the party."

"You won't think so when you get topside," Power Ring warned her.

* * *

"Chivalry be damned!" Sir Justin snarled, "When I find Saturn Queen I shall slay the wench."

"That's not how we do business, mister," Superman lectured him.

"The hell it isn't," Black Mary snorted, "Ask your new lady fair her opinion on the matter."

Superman knew he was treading a slippery slope as he asked, "Barda?"

"If the Shining Knight doesn't kill her, I will," Barda vowed.

"That's not the Justice League way," Superman protested.

"I never asked to be in your damn league," Barda reminded him.

"But why…?" he was genuinely clueless. Until she gave him _the_ look that told him she'd joined just to be near him. And the slope gave way.

* * *

The mixed Conglomerate, All Star, and JLU force wound their way through the maze-like corridors to find a chaotic orb of energy apparently suspended by nothing but its own volition. Disco Mummy stood before it tapping commands into a forearm length controller. Strange Visitor spotted the emitters that created the ball in the first place and pointed them out to the others.

And then the orb discharged a wave of energy that cascaded throughout the world. As the heroic team converged on Disco Mummy they saw her bracelet controller was shaped as a golden scorpion. Above the scorpion an image formed, and then another, followed by another. The cavalcade of imagery showed different locations throughout the globe.

"Give it up," Vapor ordered, "You're all alone here."

"Am I?" Disco Mummy sounded amused, "I guess we'll see. Won't we?"

The earthen walls ruptured and mummies and cadavers burst forth from the ground. Power Ring blocked some of them with a construct walls. What amazed her was that others dug their way through the terrain to bolster the forward ranks.

Vapor's acidic mist form was useless against the mummified remains but Strange Visitor blasted away, shattering the remains. But even the scattered pieces dragged themselves towards Strange Visitor if they could. Meanwhile Vapor and Goldilocks encroached on Disco Mummy.

Disco Mummy ran towards the underground train. Mummies tackled Goldilocks and she irritably dismantled them. Vapor couldn't drift fast enough to prevent the train launching down a tunnel that stretched to an unknown, to the heroes, destination. But Disco Mummy emerged at the airstrip and a plane awaited her to take her to Baghdad where a chartered flight was prepping on the tarmac to fly her away.

Power Ring drilled a hole in the roof to reach the ground above. She ferried Vapor and Goldilocks up the shaft. Strange Visitor went ahead.

The Justice League huddled together as new orders came in from the UN. Superman made his announcement, "We're pulling out. Credible threats to world leaders have been revealed. Don't still be here when we return."

Many of the JLers gave the All Stars and Conglomerates apologetic looks. Vapor called out, "Screw you."

Superman stopped and his shoulders tightened and his fists were clenched. But he visibly shrugged it off and Barda gathered her armor and opened a boom tube. The JLU disappeared.

Strange Visitor reported the chaos engine's appearance and apparent purpose. Mr. Terrific turned to Anna, "Can you dismantle it?"

"I can certainly try," she skeptically offered.

"Sand, get her there," Mr. Terrific requested.

* * *

The Basque Autonomous Community had been established by treaty in 1978. The majority of it was within Spain on the border with France. But one portion was inside France itself. It was divided into the French Basque Country, the Autonomous Basque Country, and the Autonomous Community of Navarre. All residing in the oceanic "green" portion of that region.

The Autonomous Basque Country was furthermore split into three partitions. Alava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa were those portions. Nyssa maintained an estate in Biscay.

The green, fertile valley spilled out from the hills onto the beach. Nyssa had purchased the manor while she fought with the Basque separatists terrorizing Spain in an effort to carve out a country. Nyssa's efforts had earned her the undying gratitude of the Basque and especially those dwelling in Biscay. It was here that Nyssa brought the Injusticers.

"Part one of our operation was a success. Simply in the fact we weren't killed," Black Canary reported, "But there will always be insurgent elements within the Leagues of Shadow and Assassins. Damian Darhk has his loyalists and they'll need rooting out."

"You need to, you mean," Blacksmith sneered, "I'm just in it for the money."

"You'll be well paid to continue the fight," Nyssa said flatly.

Scandal, Knockout, Silver Sorceress, and Blue Jay disapproved of Blacksmith's sentiment but that's why Nyssa had assigned them to the Injustice Rogues in the first place. And Blacksmith was chafing under the collective conscience.

"More than you know," Deathstroke announced from where he leaned against the door frame.

No one had heard or seen him enter. Black Canary took charge, "What is it you want, Slade?"

"And how did you find us?" Nyssa grated.

"You're getting sloppy. For forty years now every time you go off grid, you're spotted in Basque Country," Deathstroke explained before answering Black Canary's question, "I'm offering you the chance to save the world and get rich as kings doing it."

Even Blacksmith perked up as Black Canary replied, "Show us what you've got."

Deathstroke explained the Daemonite threat, Halo's money, and further resources to be had from slain human hosts. Dinah had one question, "Why us?"

"Every major operation suffers from exposure, lack of coordination, and usually a nasty surprise waiting for the troops," Deathstroke told them all, "I want to inject my own unknown variable into the equation."

"We'll do it," Black Canary announced. Nyssa gazed at her with loving pride.

* * *

Anna stood before the altar where Disco Mummy had conjured her chaos magic and harnessed it through machines. Anna's skin crawled, "She's harnessed chaos."

"That's a good thing, right?" Sand wondered.

"No, no, no…that is a very terrible thing. Chaos is very energetic but previously barely controlled except through means devised by the Lords of Chaos. Each one holds their particular means a secret to be parted with only after death. Disco Mummy channeled it through these emitters and those storage cells," Anna traced the cables.

"So they're chaos batteries?" Sand asked.

"They're dead. Everything that constituters a piece of the puzzle here is dead already. But the magic permeates the world," Anna deduced.

"I think we know why," Sand gazed at the fragmented mummies still trying to claw their way to victims.

"Take us atop and bury this travesty," Anna ordered.

Sand noted how Anna occasionally used tones that indicated she was used to giving orders and having them obeyed. Once on the surface she reported her findings, "Everywhere something is mummified; she now animates and controls it."

"Even animals?" Stargirl asked.

She drew a collective stare, "What? It's not like you weren't thinking it too."

" _Every_ thing mummified," Anna stressed.

"I've instructed my T-Spheres to congregate in the locations Roxy gives them to address the problem," Mr. Terrific told everyone as more T-Spheres teleported in to their location.

"Can you send Reddy to the 1WTC so he can track down Echo and Reverb?" vapor asked.

"Easily done," in a red flash Red Tornado disappeared from Iraq.

Afterwards, the teams broke into smaller divisions and Mr. Terrific sent them across every continent except Antarctica.

* * *

Mummies of all descriptions were marching on Cairo. Both those deliberately mummified and those desiccated in sandstorms or perished in the desert ranked amongst the undead army. Sentinel landed in the center of the city and erected a barrier around Cairo. Flash sallied forth to meet the invaders head on. Wildcat dealt with the mummies within the city limits.

Unlike Disco Mummy's perfectly preserved flesh, these mummies barely had tendons left to hold them together beneath their parchment–like skin. They had no eyes but were supernaturally aware of their surroundings. And they changed directions all at once as though directed by an outside force.

In between directions they continued on aimlessly towards their last collective goal. Flash used supersonic attacks to shatter mummies. But even the fragments continued relentlessly onward.

Wildcat was both dismayed and relieved that the mummies from the museums wielded traditional edged weapons from the Dynastic periods. And other than simple fight or flee reactions to obvious threats, the mummies actions were disjointed as they received updated commands since they didn't seem to think for themselves.

Wildcat intercepted the parties headed for the Presidential Palace and held them back while Flash destroyed the oncoming waves. Sentinel's ring finally grabbed hold of the mystic channel Disco Mummy was using and filtered the Green Flame energy derived from the Starheart down through her own control mechanism to destroy all of the mobile mummies.

The Egyptian authorities were both relieved and outraged by the decimations as the JSA Founders teleported back to Iraq courtesy of a T-Sphere.

* * *

A red teleport flash delivered Sand to the great desert plains of Libya. Mummified people caught in sand storms over the millennia rose out of the sands to march on the populated areas. Sand created a giant fissure down to, and into, the bedrock.

Using the removed sand, he shoved the mummies into the hundreds of miles long trench. And then he sealed it, crushing the mummies. Lastly he redeposited the sand before triggering a teleport back to Baghdad. There he boarded the All Star Racer and discussed Zinda's trip to the United Kingdom with her,

* * *

Black Mary landed in Kahndaq well away from highly populated zones. Border guards were retreating, pleading with their commanders to unleash Black Adam and Isis. Where was their indestructible leader now? Black Mary knew that Teth-Adam and Adrianna Tomaz would suffer for being merely mortal now. A fate Mary Batson would not subscribe to.

Moving at super speed, Black Mary decimated the mummies crossing the border from Egypt across the desert plains into Kahndaq. In the palace, Teth-Adam and Adrianna rejoiced in Black Mary's remembrance of them. They also pitied Mary Batson for her choice to remain a pawn of demon-gods.

Adrianna wished Mary the best for Shazam and the Lords of Orders had expunged the demon essence from Osiris. He was a mere infant for the first time in his life. And Teth-Adam delighted Adrianna by voicing his desire to expand their humble family beyond just the three of them.

No one volunteered to assist Bailya and the Crimson Queen would have rejected such an offer anyway. She dispatched her younger sister, Scarlet Rose and the Crimson Jihad, to deal with the encroaching mummified remains animated once more. But her internationally placed spies told her this was the effect of a single person. The Crimson Queen wondered how she could steal Disco Mummy's power.

* * *

The Islamic Republic of Iran did refuse outside assistant and the Republican Guard was unleashed to deal with the walking undead. They found they were ill equipped to deal with the supernatural threat. Despite fervent pleas, the Ayatollah refused to budge on the issue.

* * *

Stargirl regretted her first visitor the Kalahari was for the purpose of blowing mummies to bits. But as she flew over the landscape, she destroyed mummies either with her rod or her belt. And she left little behind to crawl away and try again.

Stargirl teleported back to Baghdad and joined Sentinel, Flash, Wildcat, and Sand in a drink of cool water. Then she joined Black Mary in the All Star Racer's cockpit with Zinda. And Mary's stories of recent exploits astounded both women.

* * *

Ghost Fox Killer explained to the Great Ten what the threat emerging from the Gobi Desert was. August General in Iron readied his troops and then the Great Ten unleashed hell upon dead bodies. The Chinese Trinity was held back to defend Beijing.

* * *

Rocket Red led the Brigade against mummies emerging from Siberia. The newly advanced Rocket Red Brigade armor was nearly as diversified as Gavin Ivanovich's Apokoliptan armor. But after the Rocket Red Brigade vanquished all foes, they proceeded to Moscow to obtain further instructions.

* * *

Dr. Mid-Nite accompanied Jakeem Thunder to the mountain slopes of Kabayan mountains in the Philippines. The mummies found there were entombed intermittently between 2000 BCE into the 16th Century. The practice halted when the Spaniards came to colonize and the considered it to be barbaric.

Dr. Mid-Nite's unique vision enabled him to spot the descending mummies as the climbed off the mountain slopes into the jungle below. Jakeem followed Dr. Mid-Nite's instructions and soon, the Thunderbolt had every mummy dismantled to their component parts. Then the teleported back to the All Star Racer before the natives could object.

* * *

Mr. Terrific hopped across the Canary Islands, dealing with mummies, and gathering T-Spheres along the way. Mr. Terrific was focused on the task at hand but he also wondered how Disco Mummy had adapted his teleportation technology into the Ambush Bug suit and "insect" teleporter relays. And why give them to an obvious mental patient?

* * *

Vapor and Praxis travelled to the Czech Republic. Praxis spotted those that they sought first, "They give off a psychic reverberation. It registers in my mind as a faint glow around their bodies."

"Can you cut the connection between Disco Mummy and her pawns?" Vapor wondered.

"I'm uncertain as to how that would affect Disco Mummy," Praxis warned her.

"I don't care!" Vapor snapped, "Cut their damn strings."

The bog mummies all dropped lifelessly to the ground. Vapor had one concern, "Do you think she can recreate the connection?"

"The engine you saw in her lair created the connections and her controller. All she should be able to do at this point is control the creatures not create them again," Praxis theorized.

"We'll hang out until we confirm that theory," Vapor decided. It didn't take long.

* * *

Commander Steel and Judomaster travelled to the bogs of Denmark. From the Mesolithic era to the Bronze Age, criminals had weights tied to them and they were cast into the bogs to smother. Two had been found until that point. Skyrstrup Woman had been dated at 8000 years old. Tollund Man was much younger. But the bogs hadn't released any other victims until now.

Commander Steel and Judomaster stood between the bog mummies and the townsfolk beyond. They strove to not let one past them. And they succeeded. Judomaster's chops and slices dismembered mummies and Commander Steel toppled a tree used as a club to pummel them into pieces. Afterwards they joined the others in Baghdad.

* * *

The mummies in Vac, Hungary had been victims of tuberculosis. A virulent plague of the disease swept through Europe in the 18th Century. The mummies in Vac had been discovered in a Dominican Church. Gypsy got people to safety while Strange Visitor blasted them to their component parts.

"I suggest we leave before they fully realize what you've just done," Gypsy advised Strange Visitor.

"What?" Sharon Vance was confused by that.

An angry roar lifted throughout the town and the citizens began to march on the Conglomerates. Strange Visitor wore a deer in the headlights expression, "I see what you mean."

Gypsy triggered the T-Sphere's recall function and they vanished.

* * *

Lightning supported the five federal Italian police agencies in their combat against mummies in Palermo. Their lines were nearly overrun several times but Lightning's power would push them back and riot squads would batter them to pieces. When it was all over, they'd vanquished Disco Mummy's plans but lost a national treasure.

* * *

Bogs across the world divested mummified remains but in lesser numbers and further away from populates regions.

* * *

The crews of the _HMS Terror_ and _HMS Erebus_ had sought the fabled "Northwest Passage" but had beached on Beechey Island in the winter. Three "ice mummies" had been discovered with the rest of the crews thought permanently lost. But the Shining Knight and Goldilocks now faced the combined ice mummy crews.

Sir Justin's sword hacked them to pieces and his chainmail protected him from the protruding bony fingers that scratched and clawed at him. Goldilocks used her enchanted hair to tear them to pieces a dozen at a time. Sir Justin had wondered if she had a limit to how far her hair would stretch and now he'd discovered that very limit.

After they beat the undead, Goldilocks picked bits of bones, dirt, and seaweed out of her hair, "Ugh. I constantly have to wash my hair out around you lot."

"T'wouldst that thou wouldn't have to but such is our wont in life. But thou hast proven thy mettle in combat once again and they valor in standing true against such horrors," Sir Justin said with heartfelt sincerity, "And once again thou hast proven thyself to my heart."

"That's three things I've proven, not one," Goldilocks teased.

"Aye, numbers were never my strong suit," Sir Justin bashfully admitted.

She found him so adorable she could go down on him right here and now, "Or we could simply say one plus one equals one."

"One plus one…?" Sir Justin tried to follow her logic.

Her hair swept him up against her body, "Get it?"

"Aye," he grinned, "But if only we had time. We need to report in to the others."

"When you're finally in the mood, I won't be," Goldilocks warned him.

"Milady, thou art always amorous," he smirked.

"Damn it," she realized it was true.

He swept her in for a kiss just as the T-Sphere heralded them away.

* * *

In 1972, eight mummified remains had been discovered in Qilakisoq, Greenland. But Supergirl was discovering so many more had never yet been found. Her telekinetic eye beam projections shattered most of them. But some reached her since she didn't share Superman's great speed. But her naturally great strength was augmented by her telekinetic abilities as needed. She quickly destroyed the remnant and teleported to Baghdad.

* * *

In 1833, a cholera epidemic caused people to intern bodies in Guanajuato, Mexico and they naturally mummified. In 1870, a "death tax" was imposed by the government a fee would be charged for burial. Those that couldn't pay found their loved one's remains interned with the mummies. Shortly thereafter, visitors to the town began paying to see the corpses.

In 1958, the tax was repealed and 111 mummies were transported to Mexico City to be placed in the national museum. And it was there that they awoke. Aztek met them there and tried beyond hope to preserve the animated remains but found he could not. Curt Falconer was beyond rage when he departed from Mexico.

* * *

The Spirit Cave mummy found in 1940 was the oldest mummy found in North America. So as Hawk and Dove arrived in Fallon, Nevada they weren't surprised to discover Spirit Cave still had other surprises available. Utilizing teamwork born of mystical endowment and practiced experience, they defeated the mummies faster than any other team. It just took them nearly longer than any other team to find their opponents.

* * *

Maxi-Man's strength combined with Starman's solar energy powers quickly decimated the mummified remains arisen in the Australian Outback. Maxi-Man looked sheepishly embarrassed, "I have to admit working with you is a personal dream come true."

"It is?" Starman couldn't imagine why that would be.

"I…I kinda…really think you're hot," Maxi-Man finally admitted.

That had been a phrase Roger had taught Gavyn, so he picked up on the implication right away, "You're pretty sexy yourself."

"Any chance we could go out after this is all done?" Maxi-Man managed not to trip over his words.

"Word of advice, it's never 'done'. But we can make the most of the breaks in between," Starman promised him.

"Jesus! I'm really going on a date with Starman!" Maxi-Man impulsively kissed him. And they were still kissing when they arrived in Baghdad to an appreciative audience.

* * *

The mummies on the Torres Straits were better preserved than those in nearby Australia. Little Mermaid decided a small, precisely controlled tsunami would do most of her work for her. So after it battered the islands, she flew out of the water and landed to dispose of the remnant. She was grateful the T-Sphere was still waiting for her because she was far too tired to attempt to swim to the Persian Gulf.

* * *

Rising Sun melted Maori mummies' bones with his solar powers as Dr. Light shattered them with photon bursts. After the couple withdrew, Maori representatives beseeched New Zealand's Parliament to censure the heroes responsible for the destruction of their ancestors' bones.

* * *

Atom Smasher teleported hundreds of feet above the ground above the legendary, and still otherwise undiscovered, Incan City of the Dead. The he shrank to a manageable height to smash apart the mummies swarming at his feet after he landed. He tried to preserve the ruins while stomping the mummies into fragments.

* * *

Anna Fortune captured the Chinchorro mummies in a single captive weave, the largest she'd ever spun. The she studied at length the connection between Disco Mummy and her unwitting servants. And then she grabbed a hold of it.

"Aha!" Anna said gleefully as she went to join Atom Smasher and collect him to rejoin the others.

Anna announced her findings to the combined teams, "Disco Mummy is currently headquartered in no finer a venue than New York City."

"Then we're headed home," Vapor announced.

"You take the All Star Racer," Mr. Terrific offered the Conglomerates; "Zinda can get you there in a couple of hours. You'll have to provide landing permits."

"No problem," Vapor promised.

"The All Stars will use my combined T-Sphere network to return to the K-Star Ranch. When Zinda reports into us, we'll contact you and we can decide on how to move against Disco Mummy next," Mr. Terrific shared.

"And the way the JLU tore out of here, I'm willing to bet there's more going on than just Disco Mummy's shenanigans," Flash spoke up.

"And you'd be in the right to think so," Anna confirmed for him, "Order is waning as Chaos rises ascendant a thousand years earlier than foretold."

"Ya mind sayin' that in English?" Wildcat asked.

"Bad things are happening all over the world far sooner than they're supposed to," Anna rolled her eyes, "Honestly, doesn't anyone speak proper English anymore?"

"Yeesh," Wildcat threw his hands up.

"I'm assuming we're short on time so every one that's boarding come aboard," Zinda offered. And then the All Star Racer headed for NYC while Vapor got in touch with Claire. Meanwhile the All Stars were instantly yanked away to reappear in their own ranch house.

"Howdy," Roxy said immediately, "Are you just in time."


	9. Chapter 9

15

Jenny Quantum delivered each Daemonite hunting team to their respectively assigned locations. The hour was chosen so it would be daylight in China, dawn in Moscow, and evening in Europe and America. Red Robin mobilized her team as they'd planned only to meet up with Justice League Unlimited resistance waiting for them. And in an even greater surprise, the Justice League of America seemed to be on loan to bolster the United Nation's force.

"Seems someone sold us out," Red Robin grimaced.

Red Robin surveyed the approach with binoculars while Ravager only needed a discreet telescope. Ravager commented, "Maybe, but only a few of each Justice League is present."

"At least they didn't bring the damn Justice Leagues Dark and United," Red Robin admitted, "So we're good?"

The question opened up to the rest of the team.

"I've always wanted a piece of Superman," Majestic chuckled nastily.

"Even though Power Girl handed you your ass?" Ravager wondered.

"You want a go at me, Cyclops?" Majestic growled.

"I'm surprised you even know that word," Ravager confessed.

"Now isn't the time," Red Fury interjected, "The Kryptonian will hear us."

"I'm drawing enough life energy from this urban environment to keep pace with the New God if Majestic can neutralize Superman," Jack Hawksmoor shared.

"Consider him neutered," Majestic promised.

"Not without us," Cain startled them all. The Injustice League hadn't been heard approaching. Not even the ponderous Big Sir, who happily sucked on a candy treat.

"What the bloody deuce are you lot doing here?" Red Robin demanded to know.

"Her father hired us as a rogue element because he suspected you'd be expected. No one but Deathstroke knows about our involvement," Cain acknowledged Ravager.

"So we do the dog and pony and you sweep in and take them by surprise," Ravager got it.

"It is our thing," Cain promised everyone.

* * *

Red Robin and Ravager rode grappler lines down to engage Green Arrow and Speedy. Beryl chose to connect the ends of her billy clubs and form a quarterstaff. Ravager drew her twin swords and then the pair found out just how good they were at deflecting high speed objects called arrows. Red Robin had chosen Green Arrow before the fight ever began and Ravager was more than happy to deal with Speedy after the way the archer had dealt with Red Robin when she was first introduced as a "he" to the Teen Titans.

Red Robin swiftly fought Green Arrow bow to staff. Oliver Queen's bastard son was adept at using his bow as a fencing weapon. Which pleased Red Robin. There should be some sport in all of it after all.

Ravager's enhanced reflexes despite her lack of depth of perception enabled her to disarm Speedy and back Mia Deardon against a wall with her blades crossed against the young archer's throat.

"Do it!" Speedy spat, "Kill me and prove just what you are."

Ravager appreciated Mia's defiance. It reminded her of herself. She uncrossed her swords but didn't sheath them.

"If I wanted you dead you'd never have seen me coming," Ravager promised her.

"So why the hell are you here?" Speedy sharply inquired.

"Let me tell you a bedtime story," Ravager offered.

Minutes later, Speedy fired a flare arrow between the still battling Green Arrow and Red Robin. Conner Hawke was incensed, "What the hell?"

"Sorry but it was the best way to get both of you to pay attention," Speedy apologized.

"I take it we have a convert," Red Robin grinned.

"It was ever so much easier than all your whacking him with a stick," Ravager happily grinned back, "I guess you're a bad influence on me."

"There are worse fates, m'love," Red Robin said snarkily.

"Uh…get a room?" Green Arrow looked embarrassed while Speedy was stupefied.

"You two are a couple now?" she was still incredulous, "I mean, I knew you were a cross dresser but _you_? Conner told everyone how you relentlessly hit on him at NOWHERE."

"Who's Conner?" Ravager wondered.

"I'm Conner," Green Arrow said irritably, "And we've never met before."

"Not you," Speedy said irritably, "The _other_ Conner called Superboy."

"So he climbed out of his Petri dish and got a name," Ravager chuckled, "And fraternization between trustees and newbies was forbidden. So I did what I had to to confuse Lynch and the wardens into think I had the hots for _Conner_ while I got the lowdown on Red Robin. `Cause she was obviously a woman even if no one else seemed to get that."

"So you're an honest to God lesbian?" Speedy couldn't believe it.

"No," Ravager corrected her, " _I'm_ bisexual. _She's_ the lesbian."

"Prove it," Green Arrow challenged her.

"I find you rather tasty there, William Tell. I'm sure Beryl won't mind if we threw down and did it in the bushes," Ravager lustily replied to Green Arrow, "Because I forgot to mention I'm also polyamorous. And Beryl is cool with that."

"He's spoken for and monogamous," Speedy defensively interposed herself between Rose and Conner.

"You sure about that?" Ravager laughed, "Because his daddy couldn't keep it in his pants."

Mia's cheeks burned at the mention of Oliver Queen's many extra-relational affairs before and during his time with Dinah Lance. Roy Harper learned to emulate Oliver. Mia didn't have that luxury or that inclination.

"But worry, _Mia_ ," Ravager sneered, "I wouldn't touch your sloppy seconds. I know you gave Protector HIV so I guess it'll be only a matter of time before this happy couple dies of AIDS together."

"You…!" Conner threw a punch and Rose used it to throw him five feet across the gravel parking area.

"Mind your manners," Ravager snickered.

"Enough," Red Robin inserted herself between the outraged Speedy and the hysterically amused Ravager, "It's time to discuss how we can help each other."

* * *

Majestic's very first blow flattened Superman and sent him digging a furrow in the gravel. Majestic could tell the Kryptonian would be sporting a black eye in a few minutes. Too bad he healed so quickly.

"C'mon, tough guy. Prove to me what you've got," Majestic taunted Superman.

Despite Superman's training sessions with Wildcat, then Diana, and then Barda, Kal-El remained a subpar fighter. He brawled rather than fought and Majestic was a career soldier with Superman's own strength and limited array of his powers as well. The man known as Bronski by his few remaining friends systematically tore Superman down.

Hammering away at Superman's solar plexus at super speeds, he grabbed hold of Clark Kent's head and piston actioned the same way with his knees into Superman's face. Afterwards he discarded him like a corpse. Majestic loomed over the fallen Superman.

"Hey you! I know you can still hear me," Majestic hated to, but he'd listened to Red Robin's proposal so he'd try her plan out, "Wanna know what's really going on?"

* * *

"Who the hell is this guy?" Fire asked, not realizing the "guy" in question was a woman in disguise.

Red Fury evaded her twin green flame blasts and fired back with a concussion rifle. The concussion rifle was designed to impact targets so strongly it broke Daemonite host bodies and fleshed them out. Ice was hiding behind frozen barrier since she was the most vulnerable JLer and the most dangerous as well.

Blue Beetle used Fire as a distraction to come at Red Fury from behind and disarm her. Then he engaged in hand to hand combat with her, "I used to use a mystical scarab to endow me with super strength. Now it's all me and nothing else."

"Explains the incompetence," Red Fury's modulated voice droned as she phoenix punched him in the throat.

Before Red Fury pulled away from him to deal with Fire once again, he managed to pull her mask off. Blue Beetle's eyes bulged even greater at the revelation of her gender than because he could barely breathe.

"Sonuvabitch," Fire gasped, "You're a woman."

"So are you," Fred Fury smarted off. Then she kicked Blue Beetle in the balls, "That's for groping me, Kord."

"Um…not that we haven't all been tempted to so the same, but that was rude," Ice had ventured out from her shelter.

Red Fury flipped her off. Ice was insulted, "And so was that."

"Your turn to make a comment, de Costa," Red Fury readied herself to respond.

"Pretty damn sneaky," Fire grinned, "I'll give you points for that but just what the hell is happening here?"

"I could tell you but you wouldn't like it," Red Fury challenged her back.

"Um…Beatriz?" Ice saw her friend's fury.

"Tell us," Fire ordered.

Red Fury smirked, "Here goes…"

* * *

Barda found Jack Hawksmoor was immune to her mega-wand discharges. And could feel him feeding off of life energies in Paris. Humans, animals, and plants were all being leeched from. And that just infuriated Barda more because it reminded her of Darkseid's psychic vampirism.

* * *

Superman had demanded Steve Trevor keep his JLers back as an (unnecessary) second layer of defense. The JLA members in Paris included Green Arrow and Speedy, who'd snuck out of the so-called "quarantine zone" while the others guarded the Dome's entrances. Trevor had tolerated the teenagers' indulgence because it was Paris after all. Now he wasn't so certain it was a wise idea any more as the Injustice League converged on the Dome.

Trevor was confronted by Cain, "I invoke the right to challenge. No weapons except blades and blows."

Trevor, enamored with stories of his great-grandfather's exploits behind the lines in World War II for OSS, pursued a lifelong career in SpecOps. Finally being recruited as a Major to lead ARGUS' Team 7. Their exploits opened his eyes to the emerging meta-human threat.

Take a good person and at meta-human could amplify what good they could do geometrically. Take a bad person and make them a meta and you could expediently inflate the evil they could perpetrate. But Trevor knew he wasn't a meta…and neither was David Cain.

They were two of the most highly trained professionals their conflicting allegiance could produce. Trevor was a result of US military doctrine and experience and Cain was a product of the League of Assassins. But in the end, Trevor had a code of conduct and Cain didn't. So after Trevor went down, desperately trying to keep breathing, Cain explained his purpose at the Dome.

* * *

"Hola, sister," Wonder Woman greet Killer Frost as an equal. Artemis still recalled the angry glare Superman had bestowed upon her for wearing Hera's armor. And now this blue skinned mystery was approaching her…and grinning like a madwoman.

"Hey hotness, why don't we skip all of this and take a drive down the Riviera?" Killer Frost asked, playful but still subdued by Godiva's cherished memory, "We could do coffee and pastries on the Mediterranean shore."

"Come again?" Wonder Woman had been magically endowed with the gift to understand all human languages…or so she'd thought until now.

"Let's just say Princess Diana never made that look so good," Killer Frost offered as an explanation.

Artemis had no qualms against homosexuality. She was an Amazon after all. But she was fairly certain the woman before her was supposed to be her enemy.

So Wonder Woman threw her javelin at Killer Frost. And Louise Lincoln made it so cold it shattered in midair. Then she froze Artemis' boots to the gravel. Killer Frost stayed out of reach but tried to reason with the Amazon.

"Now, you'll get out of that before you get frostbitten," Killer Frost advised Wonder Woman, "But let me explain why I'm actually here, and it's not to pick up hot babes, although you certainly qualify."

* * *

White Lightning immediately seized control of Animal Man. But she used him as a shield rather than a weapon. But Crimson Fox was crazed over White Lightning's actions. And her natural ferocity was frenzied by her anger.

"Can we talk about this?" White Lightning pleaded.

* * *

Col. Flagg directed the Task Force X unit assigned to the detail. No one, including the JLers, knew the Suicide Squad was waiting nearby in case of trouble. Having deduced Task Force X's inexplicable series of orders stemming from POTUS actually originated with Cavalry International led to the revelation that Cavalry was also manipulating several world leaders towards the same event after the G20 conference.

Gwen's contacts within the ISA showed that the JLU had been recalled from yet another odd mission in order to protect the six affected leaders. The Secretary-General of the UN being one of them. Others including the US President. In order not to stretch ARGUS' resources too thin and risk their being exposed to the world, the Freedom Fighters had also been engaged in the effort.

Waller, Gwen, and Flagg came up with an ad hoc plan to "oppose" the attacking forces in order to situate themselves to complete the opposition's efforts should they fail to achieve their goals. But the appearance of the Injustice League in alliance with Red Robin's force through all of that out the window. Still, Flagg was willing to learn what the Injusticers were doing on scene before arresting them, or executing them outright.

Flagg confronted the Wrath. Eliot Caldwell was a disgraced arms manufacturer who'd highlighted as an elite assassin specializing in killing law enforcement's prestige officers and officials. Flagg had to wonder how anyone in the Dome fit his profile for targeting victims.

Flagg blocked Wrath's egress but didn't threaten him while keeping his weapons poised to swing into action, "I'm not here to fight, or at least I don't think so. Tell me who your target is and why and we can move foreyard from there."

Flagg almost crapped his pants when the Wrath explained that the target was none other than the Secretary-General.

* * *

Aresia had armed herself with a legendary blade but she found, as the Persuader had earlier, than the SoulTaker was nearly impossible to break. It had been broken and reforged after Killer Croc snapped the blade with his jaws. Katana had sought a reclusive master swordsmith in Japan. She was a blind exile despised for being a woman.

While the swordsmith reforged the blade and insured its enchantments were intact, Katana fought the Council of Spiders. The smith gave her life getting the SoulTaker to Katana. And the Council had lost two of its members facing her fury.

Katana disarmed Aresia but didn't land the fatal blow. Instead she thrust the blade under Aresia's throat so that it nicked her and drew just enough blood to prove to the Amazon that her death was imminent if Katana so chose.

"Who is your target?" she demanded to know.

"You'd never believe me," Aresia laughed.

"Try me," Katana countered.

Aresia proved to be correct.

* * *

Savant easily avoided Syonide's whip. It seemed as though she was telegraphing her every intention. What she didn't know was Savant was a prodigy selected by the Russian military for biological enhancement. The _Bratva_ acquired him and sent him to the East Coast of the United States to secure their interests there.

Which brought him to Hub City and the Question. Once ARGUS had him in custody they perfected what the Russians had begun. So Savant now had photographic reflexes to go with an eidetic memory.

"Let's stop wasting each other's time and have you explain why you're here and I'll decide on whether to oppose or assist you," Savant offered.

So Syonide accepted his offer.

* * *

Deadshot's injuries hampered his ability to hit targets, especially one's as fast as Lady Flash. Under normal circumstances, he could have anticipated her movements and hit her despite her vaunted speed. But after what Wrath had inflicted upon him, he could barely managed to lift a gun much less hit anything with it. So the "man that never misses" was missing every attempt to hit Lady Flash.

She disarmed Deadshot after toying with him. Deadshot glanced her over. She added yellow goggles to the Flash suit and a black leather biker's jacket. No doubt a gift from White Lightning.

"What are you doing here?" Lady Flash asked.

"You're Russian aren't you?" Deadshot asked.

"What of it?" she asked defensively.

"Nuthin'," Deadshot could barely lift his hands in surrender, "Just…every guy wants to make it with a Russian."

"I'll tell Boris you said so," Lady Flash retorted.

"And you're funny," Deadshot said appreciatively.

"Get to the point," Lady Flash growled.

"Let me tell you why I'm here," Deadshot offered.

…and Deadshot felt his pants constrict as he swelled as Lady Flash smiled, "Now let me tell you why I'm here."

He went flaccid as she did so.

* * *

Thomas Merlyn had an annoying habit of deflecting boomerangs in midair in Digger Harkness' opinion. So Captain Boomerang took hold of two razorangs and went at Merlyn hand to hand. And Digger found out the wily bugger was adept at using his bow as a tool as well.

"G'day, mate. Ya can't still be mad at us for handing you your ass back in Wales, can ya?" Captain Boomerang taunted Merlyn.

"You people humiliated me," Merlyn grated.

"No, mate. Y'did that to y'rself," Captain Boomerang mocked him further.

"Dad!" Dark Archer called out.

"Harkness, stand down," Phantasm's modulated voice commanded.

"Just gettin' friendly here," Digger winked at Merlyn.

"They aren't our enemies," Malcolm Merlyn warned his father, "Not anymore."

"How can you be so certain?" Merlyn asked his son.

"Because of that," Dark Archer pointed out where JLers were mingling with Daemonite Hunters, Injusticers, and Suicide Squaders.

"Oi! The kid called it," Boomerang slapped Merlyn's quiver covered back.

Merlyn grumbled some choice obscenities.

* * *

Inside the Dome, Major Disaster and Big Sir reached the inner sanctum where the Secretary-General was hidden. Guarding her were seven JLers and several ISA agents. But the JLers were quietly corralling the agents.

Vibe could see the Daemonites infesting the agents. So after a quick word with the Question, it spread to the Huntress, then the truth was revealed to the Elongated Man, and then off to Catwoman who informed Catgirl, and she shared with Spoiler.

"We've been had," Question announced seconds after pummeling the Daemonite hosts and then dealing with the infestation.

"We all have," a bruised and battered Superman announced as the assembled teams gathered outside the besieged office of the Secretary-General, formerly Dr. Mist's personal office.

"So how exactly do we break in and arrest the leader of the United Nations?" Ralph asked.

* * *

Deathstroke's New York City team was a wildly varied one. Cinder was with him and she was the only one he knew he could absolutely depend on. Lord Emp chose to assist Deathstroke rather than his own WildCATS. Voodoo was Grifter's addition to the team. Slade knew Cole had sent his young protégé because she'd be safer with Deathstroke than Grifter.

Regulus brought his Basilisk forces into play. Local assets had been drummed into service to attack the President of the United States' security detail. POTUS had made an unscheduled change of location and Deathstroke wanted to know why.

The President was supposed to have stayed at the White House for the evening, which exonerated him of being a Daemonite host. But then, the Chief of Staff had redirected the President to New York City, Manhattan to be precise. The change had wreaked havoc with the Secret Service.

They hadn't had advance warning to vet the area and establish security outlets for it as well as chart out escape routes and secure them. The White House Chief of Staff was treating the event like a spontaneous night out. Something Presidents didn't get to enjoy.

Things got stranger when the Chief of Staff emptied the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The Secret Service used blatantly illegal means to forcibly remove guests or arresting them when they refused to leave everything, including their luggage and find accommodations elsewhere. Deathstroke witnessed the expulsion through his telescope.

"Send your force in to deal with the Secret Service," Deathstroke instructed Regulus.

"I don't take orders, Slade. I give them," Regulus warned him.

"Do I need to feed you your balls, Dean?" Deathstroke asked amicably, "Afterwards I'll move on to something that's an actual challenge."

"Alpha through Tango Teams, you are a go," Regulus ordered through his armor's transmitter.

Humans and metas alike attacked the Waldorf-Astoria block. The Secret Service scrambled to reply in kind. Eventually, a little slowly for Slade's taste, was the POTUS was heralded off in his limo and was escorted by four SUVs full of Secret Service agents. Right down the avenue Deathstroke had predicted would be their escape route.

"Your turn, Cinder," Deathstroke reminded his colleague.

Cinder shifted into her plasma form and her skin glowed crimson. She rained fire and destruction down upon the fleeing convoy. She detonated the fuel tanks of the leading and trailing vehicles and left the Presidential limo intact.

It was felt the ruckus would force the Daemonite to reveal himself, whether it be the President or the Chief of Staff. Collateral damage regarding the non-host was considered negligible. But at this point, the Freedom Fighters intervened.

Their status as alien pawns was still unrevealed to them. Deathstroke and the other met the Freedom Fighters at street level, "Stand down and we'll ascertain the President's health a safety."

"Now why would we allow ya'll access to yore target?" Uncle Sam asked.

"Because he isn't our target as far as we know, you hayseed dimwit," Deathstroke snapped.

"We'll just see `bout that," Uncle Sam replied as he motioned the Freedom Fighters into motion.

Uncle Sam and Human Bomb joined together to capture Deathstroke. He knew he was hardly a fugitive. Deathstroke had been hired by ARGUS to assist Task Force X on an early mission. He'd received a full pardon. He'd hardly felt threatened by the government but it was getting to be a nuisance to hide all of the time.

Deathstroke's incomparable reputation was enhanced by his ability to operate in any theater in any country. Uncle Sam didn't really care how Deathstroke earned his reputation. He was just intent on capturing the mercenary.

So he came at Slade like a ballistic missile. And Deathstroke grabbed a hold of Uncle Sam and redirected him at Human Bomb. And human Bomb was laid out like a dead man.

"Yore gonna pay fer that, fella," Uncle Sam declared.

"Bill me," Deathstroke retorted.

Deathstroke used a variety of weapons. He had his pistol and spare magazines strapped to his legs. Grenades hung from his bandolier. His customized sword and power lance were strapped across his back. So Slade drew out his power lance and extended it.

"Want to go, Gramps?" Deathstroke taunted Uncle Sam.

"Yore plumb in fer a whuppin'," Uncle Sam promised.

As he stepped forward, Deathstroke shot him with the power lance. When the smoke cleared from Uncle Sam's burning clothing, he sat on his keister with his shirt and jacket torched and his top hat a shell of what it had once been.

"Dang nab it! That were my favorite hat," Uncle Sam slowly got up.

"It was your only hat," Deathstroke reminded him.

"That's beside the point," Uncle Sam sniffed, "Why else would it be my favorite?"

Deathstroke collapsed his power lance and sheathed it once again, "Fair enough. Want to try a fair fight?"

"I'll knock ya on yer petard," Uncle Sam warned him.

"I'll take my chances," Deathstroke offered.

Uncle Sam surged forward and threw a right cross. Deathstroke caught the arm by its wrist and twisted the arm behind Uncle Sam's back. Wrenching the palm of the captive hand towards the inside of the worst, Deathstroke forced Uncle Sam to yelp before kicking him away by the butt.

"Good technique, Gramps. But you aren't fully committing to the punch so it slows you down and telegraphs where you're targeting," Deathstroke warned him.

Uncle Sam volleyed a series of jabs and punches at Deathstroke. All of which were blocked or deflected.

"Better, but you have to be ready for changeups," Deathstroke drove his knee into Uncle Sam's jaw. A lesser man's would have shattered.

An explosion distracted Deathstroke. Human Bomb was up and had a glove off and was charging a piece of debris. Deathstroke studied Human Bomb.

"It took twice as long as I expected for you to get back up," Deathstroke admitted. He drew his pistol in a blur and emptied the magazine into Human Bomb's chest. Deathstroke ejected the spent magazine and replaced it before holstering the gun. Human Bomb's protective suit protected him from the bullets but not the kinetic energy. He'd have a few broken ribs.

Uncle Sam lunged again and Deathstroke spun and drew his sword, impaling Uncle Sam, "You'll live even though you won't want to."

Deathstroke pulled his sword out, "Now, be a good boy and stay down. For your own good."

* * *

"So, you play with fire?" Cinder noted Firebrand as she and Black Condor confronted her, "So do I, in my own way."

"Tough talk, lady," Danette Reilly was the second Firebrand in the 20th Century Reilly family. But her older brother Rob hadn't been a pyrokinetic. The name had passed down by the Reillys since the Revolutionary War. Firebrands had fought in every major engagement since then.

But when Rob died and Danette inherited the mantle, she hadn't counted on being put in cryostasis by Nazi madmen for seventy years. With Danette gone, the Firebrand wasn't handed down to succeeding generations because there weren't any. Danette secretly hoped Black Condor would "assist" her in amending that. Blending colonial blood and Native American genetics seemed the right and proper thing to do. Besides the fact that she was utterly smitten by him.

Cinder converted to her plasma form, "I have action to go with my words. What about you?"

Cinder's plasma blast didn't incinerate Firebrand but it consumed all of the available oxygen and Danette passed out. Black Condor took to the air, "You'd better pray she's all right."

"Show me what you have, lover boy," Cinder chuckled.

Black Condor dove and Cinder managed to ignite his clothing and artificial wings without torching his entire body. But he still fainted from the pain from the mild burns covering him. Cinder looked around expectantly.

And then she forlornly sighed, "Hopefully this gets more interesting soon."

* * *

Phantom Lady's zone constructs baffled Regulus. They were solid enough but didn't register on any of his scanners. When he finally got close enough to lash out at her, she flipped her hoodie over her head and became a phantom.

Behind Regulus, Doll Man worked unhindered to shut Dean Higgins' armor down. And when he succeeded, Regulus was trapped in a prison of his own forging. Phantom Lady pulled her hood back and Doll Man settled on her shoulder.

And then Deathstroke crossed his sword blade across Phantom Lady's throat as he punched Doll Man with his left fist, "Don't attempt to go phantom on me."

Stormy Knight tried pulling her hood up with her right hand. Deathstroke nicked her throat, "What did I tell you?"

"How the…? You're blind on that side," Phantom Lady protested.

"I'm good in ways you'll never aspire to be," Deathstroke spoke matter-of-factly without boasting.

Cinder kept Doll Man at bay after fusing his jet pack and most of his arsenal. Deathstroke decided someone should listen to the truth, "Now, would you kiddies like a bedtime story while you wait?"

* * *

The JLU had assigned Plastic Man, Penny, and Hula Hula to watching over the President beside the Freedom Fighters. But the armored limo used by the Secret Service to transport the president had been ruptured when Cinder detonated the escort vehicles. Plas got POTUS out of the car. But he kind of wondered why he bothered.

President Williams had lost his bid for a second term to Lynda Cartier. The President-elect would be the nation's first female commander-in-chief and chief executive officer. Even Waller had voted for her.

But Ben Abrams, the White House Chief of Staff was on fire. An inhuman shriek froze Hula and Penny as the Daemonite emerged from its host body. It saw Hula Hula and dismissed him as a potential host. But Penny was fit and an obvious combatant.

Lord Emp hit the Daemonite with a polaron discharge and the Daemonite was blasted away from Penny. Then Voodoo began shape shifting and tore the now-physical Daemonite to pieces.

Deathstroke arrived bringing Cinder, Regulus, Doll Man, and Phantom Lady with him. Deathstroke asked Lord Emp a single question, "We good?"

"What in the name of God?" Williams roared.

"Ah've never seen thuh like before," Penny embraced Plas tightly.

"It was a waste," Lord Emp admitted, "Lord Daemonite was obviously coming here. Now we have no means to track the scab."

"You all saved me," Williams belatedly realized.

"It seemed potentially profitable to do so," Deathstroke told him.

"I've recalled Basilisk. I need to debrief my people," Regulus informed them all, "I'll signal Stormwatch when I'm available again and rejoin you in time to hunt Lynch."

"Then we need to leave too," Lord Emp activated a transmitter the size of a Q-tip, "Jenny Quantum? We need an evac. Half our mission was accomplished but we failed to acquire Lord Daemonite."

" _Be advised, this will be as jarring as last time,"_ Jenny warned them from the dark side of the Moon.

A quantum gate opened and the teams went through it. IT closed before any JLer or Freedom Fighter could venture forth. POTUS began to shake.

"I need to get to the Hall of Justice," he begged.

Plastic Man stretched into being a car, "No problem."

Penny and Hula joined the President and Plas to drive away to get to Brooklyn and the Hall of Justice.


	10. Chapter 10

16

Jenny Quantum landed each hunting team in an inconspicuous area near their target. This time it was 10 Downing Street in London. But even precise surveillance had failed to register the Prime Minister's relocation to Whitehall. So Zealot led the team in pursuing.

As it was in every case, Stormwatch didn't have an exact identity on who the highest ranking Daemonite host was in Parliament, but it had been narrowed down to the Prime Minister for the Home Secretary. In reality it was a duo of the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister's husband working in tandem publicly and privately.

Zealot assessed the presence of the JLU and JLA and decided, as she usually did, that an all out assault would batter her force's way through the JLers. So she assigned targets and led the way in.

* * *

Apollo was assigned to deal with the Earth's resident Green Lantern and Shayera Hol. The press still referred to Shayera as "Hawkgirl" and she was glad to have exonerated the name but privately she still preferred her own. John Stewart was the only Green Lantern still on Earth. Hal Jordan had taken up leading the Green Lantern Corps. Kyle Rayner had become a White Lantern and led the New Guardians. Guy Gardner had forfeited his green ring of Will and first taken up a Red Lantern power ring of Rage only to join Sinestro's Fear Corps with their yellow power rings.

Apollo was a Majestic level meta-human. Like a Kryptonian, he was a living solar battery that gained super strength, speed, durability, and endurance from solar rays. He also possessed the ability to discharge solar energy. Since it was night, he was largely running off of stored energy in his cells.

He heard gunshots and worried about his husband, Midnighter. Midnighter possessed an uncanny knack to escalate whatever tension he was assigned to resolve. Apollo was keeping John at bay before Shayera walloped him with her Nth metal mace. Then his concentration flickered and Green Lantern captured him in a construct.

"We don't have to do this," Apollo advised John.

"Yes, we really do," Green Lantern said sternly.

"All right," Apollo sighed heavily. Then he discharged a yellow light frequency solar discharge.

The construct shattered and John barely managed to shelter both Shayera and himself. Apollo held his hands up, "Now can we talk? I think you'll find the topic enlightening."

John looked to Shayera. She nodded her assent.

* * *

Midnighter fired the first shots of the evening but they wouldn't be the last. His target was the Atom. Mainly he'd been curious to see how Atom would respond to threats.

As Atom grew to ambush Midnighter, the Stormwatch operative chopped his throat with the blade of his hand. As Atom chocked, Midnighter made a simple proposition, "Please, you pussy. You won't die. But if you'll stop being so misguided, I'll tell you what's going on here. Interested?"

Atom grimly nodded and Midnighter wore a delighted smile, "Oh goody."

* * *

Bat-Girl, Starling, and Batwoman had turned their corner of Whitehall into a free fire zone with Zealot. And the Kherabim Coda warrior was an uncannily accurate shot. And her sword brought an even more immediate threat in close quarters.

Starling irritably wondered where Batwoman had disappeared to. But Kathy Duquesne attacked Zealot's flank while the alien was busy with the JLer couple. But Zealot responded as though she'd never lost track of Batwoman. Kathy found it rather unnerving.

Kathy was glad she'd persuaded Rocki Ballantine, the other surviving Batwoman, to let Kathy be Batwoman for this mission. Rocki, like Speedy, was HIV positive and her health could prove to be a distraction. Whereas Mia had been infected by Johns while forced into prostitution, Rocki had been unwittingly infected by her husband Kevin, who in turn, had been knowingly infected by a fellow inmate inside Blackgate while Kevin served a sentence the Penguin had framed him for.

Kevin had already died of AIDS and Rocki was still getting her smart metal startup off the ground. So Kathy plainly had more free time to devote to Batwoman. But Rocki, who'd once been the most reluctant of the troika of Batwomen, now refused to hang up the mask.

What occurred next was beyond human norms as Zealot kept Bat-Girl and Starling cowering behind cover while engaging Batwoman with her sword. And just as inexplicably, Zealot holstered her polaron pistol and sheathed her sword, ""Now that I've tested your worth, are you ready to hear me out?"

"We're not here to negotiate," Starling grated.

Zealot's smile was predatory, "Good. Neither am I."

* * *

Angelica was a mystery to most of her current comrades but Deathstroke knew her past. One of the few living souls who did. Angelica had worked for the Russian Federal Security Bureau, or FSB, and had been a covert operations agent sent the world over.

Lynch had arranged for Angelica's capture and subjected her to experiments that disfigured her as well as activated her latent gen factor. Angelica had escaped from Lynch's clutches and had sworn to avenge herself one day. Or she could assist Deathstroke in doing so.

Facing Darknight and Ri, she spoke to them in fluent Mandarin since the Russian Federation was seeking to repair the Sino-Slavic rift from the 20th Century and bring their nations into closer alliance. So she surprised the couple by speaking in their native tongue.

"I'm not here to fight you," she promised them both.

"No, you are here to kill the British Prime Minister," Darknight accused.

"I'm not here to harm a single human being," Angelica promised, "The threat is alien in nature and I don't know who the host bodies are. But you could help me find out and minimize the collateral damage."

"Tell us more," Ri offered.

* * *

"You used to be called 'Ink'," Jesse Quick reminded Tattooed Man.

"That man got his wife and kids killed," Tattooed Man shared, "He deserved to die."

"To bad. He was a hero," Hourman replied.

"No hero gets his family killed," Tattooed Man sneered.

Jesse's doctoral thesis had been on superheroes' public lives since 1939 and the rare evidences of the cost permeating their private lives as well. She'd never come across a single article relating Ink's loss. That private pain had driven him to extremes.

"You work for Deathstroke now," Jesse pointed out, "But only when his missions include taking down criminals."

"Taking down and taking out," Tattooed Man stated, "No half measures anymore."

"So obviously you perceive that there's a threat here at Whitehall," Hourman said, "Care to explain?"

"Sure `nough," Tattooed Man astonished them with his explanation.

* * *

The Unknown Soldier led the Task Force X squad assigned to Whitehall. His orders were vague to the point of confusing. They were to ostensibly block any attempt to breach Whitehall yet they were also supposed to let that effort succeed. When the JLers effectively ended conflict with the Daemonite hunters. Unknown Soldier thought it was over and the Squad could head home without having to do anything. And then the Silver Sorceress teleported the Injustice Rogues right into the midst of things.

The Unknown Soldier deployed his force with no resounding clarification on the actual extent of his mandate. He chose Blacksmith and Murmur as his targets. Murmur kept Unknown Soldier busy long enough for Blacksmith to touch him and try to convert him to organic steel to become her living slave.

But it didn't work. But it did garner her a broken nose and Murmur two broken legs. He kept them both covered with his weapon and he asked them one simple question.

"What the hell is going on here?" he wondered.

* * *

Black Orchid's immense Amazonian-level strength derived from her being a plant elemental. But even her power waned in the face of Girder's strength. Back Orchid flew over Girder to land behind him. When he turned around, he faced Blacksmith.

"Boss?" Girder was confused.

"Why are we here?" "Blacksmith" inquired.

"`Cause you said so," Girder's logic was primitive.

"Why did I say so?" she asked.

"Is this a test?" Girder wondered.

"Yes," he was told.

"Because of the Daemonites inside the building," Girder said simplistically.

Black Orchid understood the Daemonite threat but thought the war was waning. She transformed back to her Black Orchid persona, "We just joined forces and we need to tell everyone."

* * *

Magenta magnetically yanked Crowbar's crowbar out of his hand. Plunder used an electro-shield to fend Crowbar back. Magenta reached a decision.

"We need to talk," she told Crowbar.

Plunder thrust the barrel of his rifle under Crowbar's chin, "And you'll listen. Or else."

* * *

When the Dominators' meta-gene bomb activated gen factors across the world, the sister act of Lime and Light was born. And they craved fame and fortune. So they packed up and moved to Los Angeles and were captured by Green Arrow after a short run on the local banks.

Now they were working off their multiple homicide and robbery charges with the Suicide Squad. But they were more than willing to take out their career frustrations on Silver Sorceress and Blue Jay. So the sisters took a high-low approach.

Lime took after Blue Jay in the air while Light attacked Silver Sorceress on the ground. Blue Jay twisted and turned Lime around until she fell out of the sky owing to her own extreme dizziness. Silver Sorceress cast a single spell and shackled Light in power damping chains.

"Haven't you twits figured out we're on the same side here?" Blue Jay angrily asked the sisters.

"Prove it," Lime snapped back.

"First off, you have to realize Jay and I aren't even from Earth. We're from another dimension and a world called Angor. After nuclear holocaust killed everyone else, we came here to Earth Prime," Silver Sorceress provided visual aids, "And now this planet is threatened by aliens that have secretly lived here for thousands of years. Only the time to kill them all is here and now."

Lime and Light watched a Daemonite possess a host and control it, "We're in."

Blue Jay was amused that they spoke in stereo, "Then help us convince your team."

"Whatever," the sisters sighed.

* * *

Scandal Savage and Knockout had the actual task of determining who were the Daemonite hosts and eliminating them. Knockout singlehandedly dealt with the guards while Scandal slipped into the PM's office to find her threatened by the Home Secretary and her husband.

"Twitch and this mammal dies," the husband warned.

Scandal locked her Lamentation Blades into place, "I never much cared for her anyway."

* * *

Grifter's force was delayed by unexpected Rocket Red Brigade patrols. But the Injustice Titans found the Daemonite hunters first. Enigma signaled her team to offer surrender.

"We're here to help," Enigma began to explain.

"Who sent you?" Grifter asked warily.

"Deathstroke asked Nyssa Raatko if the Injusticers could assist all your teams," Enigma told him, "Obviously she agreed. Black Canary suggested _we_ could help you the best."

"This could work," Grifter began to cheer up.

Grifter's group had scouted out the dacha where the Russian Prime Minister, and former and future President, awaited Lord Daemonite. The only meta presence was an element of the Suicide Squad. Even the Rocket Reds were unaware of Karin Grace's unit.

Warrant attacked Grifter without warning or provocation. But Warrant didn't count on Grifter's mild telepathic and telekinetic abilities coupled with his uncanny agility. So Grifter continually disarmed Warrant with his own high energy projection pistols. Finally, Warrant was out of guns.

"Ready to talk now?" Grifter dryly asked.

* * *

Sofia Cordon didn't have any meta-human abilities. But she was an eerily accurate marksman and a nearly unparalleled tracker. She survived by deducing where her prey would go and how they would react. So she got the drop on Karin Grace.

"You really need to hear what I have to say about why you're really here," Sofia advised Karin.

"Then don't waste time," Karin urged her to speak.

* * *

The Kherabim sometimes referred to as Savant was more generally known by her given name, Kenesha. She'd already decided Heatstroke wouldn't ever be a friend. But Zealot had been in love with Majestros when she conceived Kenesha. But Zealot was bound to the Coda, an all female fighting society on par with the Amazons.

So Zealot's mother pretended Kenesha was her own child and Zealot's sister. But Majestros, on his deathbed after a battle with the Daemonites, confessed Kenesha's true heritage to her. Being the last of the Coda on Earth, Zealot no longer feared reprisal and confirmed the truth to her daughter. But it was already too late for their relationship.

Kenesha was called the Savant because of her voracious intellectual appetite and aptitude. For over two hundred years she'd reinvented herself as an archeologist with new surnames every fifty years. But her precise knowledge of where lost sites lay garnered her impressive accolades no matter what identity she worked under.

One of Kenesha's finds had been the mythical Seven Leagues Boots. Each step wearing them could carry her thousands of miles. So she grabbed hold of Heatstroke and carried her away from Moscow and dropped her off in Greenland before returning to Russia. Upon returning she closely observed the exchange between Windfall and New Wave.

"Wendy? Is that you?" New Wave asked.

"You know it is, Becky," Windfall wearily told her.

"How did you get here?" New Wave wondered.

"You mean after you left me to get captured by NOWHERE and barely escape with my life?" Windfall had to wonder.

"ARGUS captured the rest of us and now we're part of their damn Suicide Squad," New Wave bitterly complained.

"Well, just like always, you managed to one up my problem," Windfall wanted just to walk away, "You must be proud."

"You can help us escape," New Wave gleefully cackled.

"And why should I?" Windfall asked.

"Because I'm your goddamn sister!" New Wave snarled.

"Not anymore," Windfall replied.

New Wave became a crashing wall of water but Windfall blew her back. Then she warned New Wave, "I'm not the confused kid you abandoned."

New Wave attacked as water and in her physical form but Windfall consistently blew her away with hurricane grade wind gusts. Windfall had a final word of counsel for her sister, "I could kill you by dispersing you so far apart you'd never reassemble. But I won't because that would just make me like you."

"You're so smug and self righteous now but just wait, baby sister," New Wave snarled.

"Why don't we just skip to that future conversation now?" Kenesha suggested.

"Who the hell are you?" New Wave demanded to know.

"Most call me Savant," Kenesha answered.

"That name is already taken," New Wave sneered.

"By me, five hundred years ago," Kenesha explained.

"What's up your blow hole?" New Wave snarled.

So Kenesha told her. And both sisters were astounded.

* * *

Rocket Red had been reassigned to the Far East. Rocket Reds 2-6, equipped with the new generation armor, were supplemented by the enormous Rocket Red androids they Russian had successfully test-bedded and was now marketing abroad. After the Brigades horrific losses in the face of the Legion of Super Villains Russia's leadership chose to rely more heavily on the android force they were building led by armored humans.

But all of this meant little to Match. Like Superboy, the Bizarro clone possessed tactile telekinesis. So the androids became his weapons at his touch. And he drove the human Rocket Reds from Moscow.

Enigma had strictly instructed Match to disable the Rocket Reds and hold them prisoner until she recalled Match for the Injustice Titans' extraction.

* * *

Mudslide sent a tidal wave of dirt at Deathblow and it buried him. While Mudslide gloated, Deathblow dug his way free and shot Mudslide through the leg. He counseled Mudslide.

"Idiot. I can't be killed," Deathblow explained, "Others more skilled, motivated, and a helluva lot more ruthless have tried. Keep pressure on the wound and someone will eventually find you."

Deathblow dropped a flare and proceeded off to find the Russian PM.

* * *

TNTeena couldn't grab anything while Dust Devil had her trapped in a small twister. But Dreadbolt flew over the trio of dust storms and zapped Dust Devil with his electrical stunners. He landed and caught TNTeena as she stumbled out of the last swirling remains of her twister.

"Hold on, Teena!" Dreadbolt urged her.

"My hero," TNTeena wore a mischievous look in her eye before she suddenly fiercely kissed him, "I've always waited for a Prince Charming. Guess you're it."

Dreadbolt was totally at a loss for words. But he had enjoyed the kiss. And he was inclined to kiss her again.

* * *

Sun Girl's solar flares melted away at Cold Snap's ice barriers. Inertia came at Cold Snap's backside where he'd frozen the ground all around him. Inertia slid next to Cold Snap and then delivered a high speed series of punches. The Master of Disaster went down.

"That was terribly easy," Sun Girl pouted.

"But he might be stupid enough to try again," Inertia consoled her.

"Next time, I fry him," Sun Girl gleefully demanded.

"Whatever works for you," Inertia pulled Sun Girl close and they engaged in a celebratory make out session.

* * *

Shakedown employed his ability to create localized seismic events to try and keep Persuader and Disruptor away from him. But he was failing to do so. While he dodged Persuader's Atomic Axe, he lost track of Disruptor. Until she grabbed a hold of his arm and short circuited his powers and his central nervous system. Shakedown went down with a whimper.

"I don't see why we can't just kill them now and be done with it," Disruptor complained.

"Chill out," Persuader ordered, "Enigma has plans for them."

"She'd better not be recruiting," Disruptor pouted.

"Look, TNTeena is putting the moves on Dreadbolt," Persuader pointed out.

"Not if she wants to live," Disruptor seethed.

"And he's doing the same for her," Persuader enjoyed stating.

Disruptor's fury confirmed Persuader's long held suspicions.

* * *

Horus had returned to the Titans' headquarters only to be located by the Projectionist and recruited into the endeavor by Deathstroke. The bulk of the Titans were assigned to Beijing with a scattering of WildCATS. Their goal was to intercept Lord Daemonite has he met with the resident leadership host in the People's Congress.

With the Great Ten otherwise engaged, the allied force felt the Chinese Trinity would be easily overwhelmed. That prediction wasn't coming true.

Cheshire took charge and deployed the allies to deal with Chinese hostiles. Arsenal stood by her side as they faced Wonder-Woman. Dressed as a warrior priestess from China's 8th Century, Wonder-Woman's mythical powers derived from "gods" long abandoned in the People's Republic but who empowered Wonder-Woman in order to revive worship in themselves.

She swatted aside the bolts fired from Arsenal's crossbow. He flung the crossbow at her and she craved it in half while he set up his bow. His arrows flew faster and softer than his bolt shad but he was infinitely more accurate with the bow than the crossbow. The affectation of the crossbow had been an invention to differentiate the original Speedy from Arsenal.

Cheshire began to close on Wonder-Woman's flank. While Arsenal kept Wonder-Woman preoccupied, Cheshire scratched the Chinese operative's neck with her poisoned fingernails. Wonder-Woman quickly collapsed.

"I thought we were taking prisoner's, Jade," Arsenal scolded her.

"She'll live," Cheshire promised, "She may not want to but she will."

"Looks like we'll be busy anyway," Arsenal nodded towards the PRC soldiers coming their way.

"Makes the afternoon more interesting," Cheshire smirked.

* * *

Being in physical contact with Superman when Livewire hit him with thousands of megawatts of electricity, Super-Man had gained a portion of Superman's powers. Which made him an equal to Horus, if not to Black Mary or Superman himself. The pair fought each other to a standstill before sinking to their knees. A development that proved to Horus his patron wasn't able to provide unlimited stamina the way the Marvel and Black Marvel Families had enjoyed it.

* * *

Bat-Man had trained beside Darknight. When Darknight defected, Bat-Man was given his current code name and promoted into the newly created Trinity. Now he fought the half-Kherabim WildCATS Maul and Warblade.

Bat-Man used to truncheons and leverage and momentum to counter Maul's mass based growth powers and super strength. Warblade transformed his fingers into elongated metal blades. And still, the WildCATS couldn't overcome Bat-Man.

* * *

Gunslinger was left to her own devices to deal with the Daemonite threat. But she was shadowed by Nyssa Raatko. Cupid had insisted on coming with Nyssa but Nyssa had pledged Cupid into shadowing Black Canary. And by doing so, it would indebt Nyssa to Cupid. Cupid liked the sound of that.

* * *

Void deposited her fellow WildCATS at the German Chancellery. And they found themselves confronted by the JLU. The German Federal Guard was still decommissioned while a new generation of armored tactical suits were manufactured.

Spartan opted to confront the two most powerful JLers present. J'onn and Captain Atom had no idea Spartan was an artificial being engineered to overcome any ability or methodology opposing him. When dealing with a parasite species that could co-opt any host's natural abilities, Spartan's facility was invaluable to his comrades.

Spartan had millennia worth of Kherabim files on Earth and its inhabitants, foreign born or not, and he quickly overcame the Martian and the containment suit wearing energy being, "Now gentlemen, let's see if we can reason together and arrive at a reasonable outcome."

* * *

TAO was another Kherabim developed being. But where Spartan had been an unqualified success, TAO was inherently unstable. So his choosing Power Ring as a foe seemed problematic at best. Although artificially derived, his mind was fully functional. So the Ring of Volthoom latched onto it and began to torture him.

TAO wreaked holy hell in reaction to the torments. Jessica encapsulated TAO in a construct and launched him out of orbit on a vague lunar approach. Unwittingly sending him to rescuers stationed on the Moon.

* * *

Void herself faced the Super Friends. Being a teleporter first and foremost, Void shifted the scene to Antarctica where the natural elements battered the three loosely garbed men. Then she applied her energy manipulation ability while Samurai attempted to wield the atmospheric elements to relieve his and Apache Chief and Black Vulcan's misery. Rendering them all unconscious, she returned them to Berlin. Only to be confronted by Power Ring.

* * *

Black Canary and Cupid were joined by the Projectionist. She'd descended from Stormwatch headquarters because his couldn't remotely override the Germans' security. But a tactile connection enabled her to deactivate every security measure within the complex. And then she began to manipulate the system to send security running after multiple false alarms, including alarms that led them to confront one another.

But inside, Black Canary and Cupid ran headlong into a group of JLers from the JLA. General Glory led Trajectory, Vigilante, Vixen, and Azrael. Black Canary immediately tried to play down a confrontational atmosphere.

"Hold on, people. You know me. I wouldn't have chosen my side if it wasn't pretty damn important for me to do so," Dinah prompted her former teammates.

"Frankly, we don't know what to believe but Waller has issued standing orders to bring you in," General Glory advised Black Canary.

"Why I'm here is too important to let you capture me," Black Canary warned them. Then she explained why she'd come to Berlin. No one but Trajectory bought into her words. Although, General Glory softened up a bit.

"This could be bad," Black Canary warned Cupid.

Cupid drew and nocked an arrow, "Depends on your idea of fun."

* * *

No one noticed a furtive shadow vanished into a corner. Nightshade had listened in to Black Canary's explanation. And she knew Waller's consensus theory with Flagg and Gwen was the correct one. And she knew despite Waller heading up the JLA as well, the JLers were about to hand Black Canary and her new friend their asses.

Nightshade explained to her Squaders what was up inside. Puzzler looked pleased, "Ah, a challenge worthy of us."

"We're going to do it," Afterthought groaned, "Just admit it and get over with."

Firehawk, Silver Swan, and even Zoom agreed to help Nightshade shift the balance of power. So she brought them safely through the Land of Nightshades to the inner chamber where Black Canary was preparing to fight her own friends in order to save the world. The JLers were just as startled as Dinah and Cupid by the Suicide Squad's arrival.

"Sorry, General. I need you all to stand down and step aside. Although, a little help would be welcomed."

"Given you're associated with known terrorists and criminals, what makes you think we'll side with you?" General Glory asked.

"Wrong way to think about it," Nightshade advised him, "Your predecessor served this country long and hard for many decades. Now you can serve your country as well in that tradition."

"I will by handing you band of cutthroats in to the proper authorities," General Glory declared.

"Then I'm sorry about this," she sucked him into the Land of Nightshades. Then she brought him back. But instead of being incapacitated, he was fit as ever.

"It seems your supernatural endowment protects you from mine," Nightshade realized.

"You really weren't trying to hurt me, were you?" General Glory belatedly realized.

"Let me fill in a few blanks," Nightshade offered, "Then Black Canary will make sense."

* * *

Azrael moved faster than either Firehawk or Silver Swan could target. But they lured him outside so they could go airborne and exploit their greatest advantage against the Agent of the Bat. Silver Swan hit him with her swan song for the second time.

"Stop it, you idiot!" she chastised him.

"And listen to the lies you will preach?" Azrael snarled.

Firehawk signaled Silver Swan to join her. They alighted mere feet from Azrael and let their guard down, "You decide."

* * *

Puzzler's techno vest could create hard light puzzles and mazes creating obstacles one had to unravel their way through the mazes. Puzzler had Vixen inside a maze and was speaking to her as she angrily made her way through it.

"We didn't come to fight. We actually came to help you but the evidence overwhelmingly points to the truth of Black Canary's claims," Puzzler tried explaining, "We've been getting strange assignments for weeks now. All coming from the President. And he received his orders from his masters. I think the Justice League is getting the same kind of assignments. Hasn't it made you wonder why?"

"What have you got?" Vixen asked.

Puzzler dismantled the maze, "I have it right here."

He handed her a small tablet computer, "This is tied into the Justice Department and Department of Defense. After you examine the chosen files, an ARGUS folder will open and I believe you'll be a true believer afterward."

* * *

Afterthought dodged every hyperkinetic round Vigilante could shoot. Even rapid firing missed Afterthought completely. Afterthought signaled a time out.

"Can we just settle down and talk this out with the Puzzler and your girlfriend?" Afterthought asked.

"Yore not soundin' like a terrible hombre," Vigilante conceded.

"I prefer not being one anymore," Afterthought confessed, "Which brings me to why your JLA and our Task Force X are getting illegal orders from officialdom."

"Can ya'll prove it?" Vig asked.

"Puzzler can," Afterthought promised.

"Let's jaw with the fella," Vigilante marched to join Vixen.

"Saw that coming too," Afterthought smirked.

* * *

Trajectory swiftly discovered that unlink her hyper-accelerated metabolism and super speed, Zoom manipulated chronal fields too bend time to make him seem faster. Trajectory could push through Zoom's chronal fields. But she had to push her metabolism to its limits and threaten to consume herself by doing so.

The process LexCorp's Everyman Project used to activate Trajectory's gen factor was akin to Velocity 9. Where Velocity 9 had to be repeatedly taken in order to keep the user from dying. Trajectory had to take a metabolic stabilizer too keep her own system from duplicating that effect. And fortunately, she'd taken a dose just three hours before undertaking the mission.

Using techniques she'd learned from Hawkman, Troia, General Glory, and Azrael, Trajectory proceeded to beat the living crap out of Zoom. He surrendered.

"I give up already," Zoom protested, "We came to help the JLA but Black Canary showed us a theory of why we've received a string of illegal orders makes sense."

"You have proof?" Trajectory warily asked.

"This way," Zoom led her to Vixen and Vigilante.

* * *

Red Hood, Miss Martian, and Fairchild intercepted Projectionist and she led them to Black Canary and Cupid. Dinah was confused, "Why are you three here?"

"The government used the Freedom Fighters to capture the rest of the Teen Titans," Red Hood explained, "M'gann's telepathic probes of ARGUS officials prove that everyone associated with former members of Team 7 or their offspring were being targeted. Someone within the League of Shadows sold ARGUS the fact you would be here. Not to mention my own contacts within the League of Assassins."

"It seems our problems are multiplying rather than decreasing," Black Canary frowned.

"Can I kill the alien now?" Cupid impatiently jittered.

"Have fun," Black Canary replied, "As for you three, I think you need to join the rest of us for the meeting of the minds that's about to happen."


	11. Chapter 11

11

The hacktivist collective known as the Movement was receiving digital footage for their online Channel M. An adherent was witnessing strange events in Coral City and recording them with a signature Channel M recorder mask. The mask literally recorded whatever the wearer faced and provided much needed anonymity. A literal lifesaver at the best of times.

Channel M's nameless and faceless supporters who wore the masks throughout the world had faces and names in Coral City. Vengeance Moth was live streaming the incoming footage and knew exactly which young hooker was standing on the street corner near the warehouse where costumed strangers were offloading a prisoner who strangely looked like Commissioner Barbara Gordon from Gotham City.

Coral City was the one metropolitan area that made Gotham seem to be a model of reform. James Gordon had pioneered battling corruption within his own police department. Maggie Sawyer had been too obsessed with the Batman to bother continuing those same pogroms and corruption had taken hold of the GCPD again.

Barbara followed in her father's footsteps and was gutting the force while rooting out cops on the take from criminal and political influences. A major factor in why Harvey Bullock seemed to be crusading alone in attempting to prove Barbara's innocence in her recent aberrant behavior involving a mass shooting within the GCPD's own halls.

Ven had never shared her real name with her Movement teammates. Drew Fisher was a recovering addict and didn't want to dwell on that painful past. Besides which, she was the niece of the original Killer Moth. Unlike her uncle, Vengeance Moth was a meta-human with psionic abilities to fly and levitate others. But she was also wheelchair bound by muscular dystrophy and physical exertion or mental gen factor depletion left her exhausted and helpless.

Ven was the Movement's premier computer expert and generally manned the systems while the others went out to combat corruption and injustice. The group operated out of the underground environs known as the Sweatshop. A literal clothing mill in the late 19th Century, a fire had destroyed the building and buried hundreds of immigrants.

Tremor's earth moving powers had excavated the site and provided hidden entrances. Roshanna Chatterji had been born and raised in India but she'd come to the United States to attend university. But drunken displays of her power had attracted ARGUS' attention. Co-opted into spying on the Movement, Tremor had blossomed into a true believer and now gave herself wholly to the Movement's cause.

Others had joined as well. A Thai immigrant now called Katharsis was a former GCPD officer who been accused of castrating a suspect accused of multiple rapes. Using a sword and mechanical wings, Kulap Vilaysack adopted her guise as Katharsis under Knightfall's tutelage. But Barbara Gordon's insistence on enforcing Gotham City and New Jersey's anti-vigilantism laws forced Katharsis to relocate to Coral City. And there she found a population in even greater need of her attention than Gotham.

Christopher had been called "Burden" by his parents since his birth. A meta-human capable of transforming into a demonic looking giant, Burden had taken the blame of his similarly gifted, angelic appearing older brother. The family lived in an austere religious enclave and Burden had been scourged on a daily basis to atone for crimes his brother committed. Until Burden ran away as a teenager and fully realized his "sins" included homosexuality. But he decided to own this last one.

Virtue was an empathic emotion rider that brought the group together. Virtue had assumed the false identity of Holly Ann Fields because officially she was dead and buried. But her heart wasn't dead or buried and had recently found true love with an escapee from NOWHERE. Sarah Rainmaker had set herself up as an elemental goddess in an abandoned coliseum. There she was worshiped and served by runaway male youths whom she had no sexual interest in. Rainmaker's heart solely belonged to Virtue with whom she'd shared her one-time unrequited infatuation with Caitlin Fairchild.

The Movement had claimed a poor section of Coral City known as the Tweens. Starling City had the Glades, Gotham had Crime Alley and the territory surrounding it, Metropolis had Suicide Slum, every city had its poor, downtrodden areas where lives were cheap and crime was rampant. And every example had exploiters who grew wealthy off of human misery.

Rainmaker had carved out her niche fiefdom in a remote section of the Tweens. Rainmaker had no interest in joining the Movement but she did retain allies in her area of influence. Virtue and Rainmaker spent many dates playfully debating their differing ideological methods.

* * *

Vengeance Moth knew Virtue had just gotten off work at the diner where she waitressed. She wanted Holly in on this. Although Virtue's demeanor indicated she wasn't alone.

"I understand, Ven. I'll be home straightaway," Virtue promised before disconnecting the line. As Vengeance Moth had guessed, Virtue was meeting someone. That particular someone wasn't Rainmaker as Ven had hoped but rather Captain Meers of the Coral City Police Department.

Despite Meers' public denunciations of the Movement, he was secretly their ally. Largely in part because of Virtue. Meers had killed Virtue's father in the line of duty after he'd learned of her nonexistent death. Virtue had convinced Meers of her own intentions and those of her friends as well as exposed the ambitions of several prominent politicians within Coral City's bureaucracy.

Now Meers was closer to Virtue than he was to his own estranged daughter. He protected her and the Movement to the best of his ability. He frequently ran interference between the ire of those in power and the intended destruction of the Movement.

"Ven sounds nervous," Virtue explained to the questioning Meers, "That rarely happens."

"She's pretty spunky despite what life had handed her," he opined.

Virtue shook her head, "Ven is spunky _because_ of what life had handed her. Overcoming what she has proved to her she can overcome anything. Sometimes I think she's the strongest of us all even with her handicap. But I need to go."

"I'll check on you in a few days then," Meers promised, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to discreetly help."

"One day I will and you'll probably regret it," Virtue warned him.

* * *

Virtue accessed the Sweatshop through one of the two moving tunnels Tremor moved here and there randomly at varying intervals. Dozens of runaways lived with the Movement so the location of the tunnels at any one time would never be a secured secret. Virtue found Vengeance Moth had gathered Tremor, Katharsis, Mouse, and Burden.

Mouse had been born to privilege but his parents had rejected him because of his meta-human ability to communicate with rodents. So he ran away and delved into the sewers where his friends were most concentrated. Now he'd added human companions to his bevy of rapid reproducing comrades. And Mouse had been in the sewers since age five. Twelve years later, he was more rodent than human in behavior.

A dozen or more mask recorder wearers had converged in the warehouse complex where a convoy of dozens of high priced vehicles had surrounded the facility. The name on the camera mask was Alicia. Alicia was a hooker the Movement had liberated from her pimp, and her pimp from his teeth. She was working part time at a day care but moonlighted in the world's oldest profession because despite the risks it paid much better.

"Who's the woman in the prison jumpsuit?" Tremor asked.

"Barbara Gordon, Gotham City's own police commissioner. Word is she went postal a few weeks ago," Katharsis said with degust. Barbara had ordered Internal Affairs to investigate Kulap and assigned a special task force to arrest Katharsis. She'd been screwed either way so she up and relocated.

"Bluebird is looking for Gordon," Vengeance Moth announced, "Some strange group broke her out of Blackgate Prison."

"And they brought her here," Virtue considered it, "I wonder why"

"Who'd look for her here?" Mouse had to ask.

Everyone conceded he had a point. Virtue made the call, "Have Alicia man her corner but have everyone else pull back one block. And no masks unless things change."

Ven spread the word via the mask's transceivers.

* * *

Mayflower had joined her half-sister, Jade, in her search for their mutual brother, Obsidian. Mayflower had one question to ask, "How can you even know Todd is even in Los Angeles?"

"Todd and I share a psychic bond," Jennie-Lynn Haden explained, "It's how we originally found one another. And then we searched for dad."

Briar Rose shared a mother with Todd and Jennie-Lynn but she was the daughter of a British parish vicar and not Alan Scott, "It must be nice sharing something like that."

"It can be a colossal pain in the ass," Jade complained, "Especially at times like this when I know he's near and trying to stay hidden. Or when he's off his meds. Or both."

Mayflower understood Obsidian was schizophrenic and prone to ride off the medication reservation. A condition difficult enough but having meta-human abilities made it infinitely worse. Provoked by reality or not, Obsidian grew increasingly dangerous the longer he was unmedicated.

"I take it he isn't taking his medication now," Mayflower guessed.

"The impression I'm getting is he's homeless or the next best thing to it," Jade answered, "And I get waves of obligation coming from him."

""Too whom or what?" mayflower asked.

"I really have no idea," Jade admitted, "Obsidian has never been much of a joiner."

"Why come to Los Angeles if only to avoid you?" Mayflower wanted to know.

"Todd's drawn to me because of our link and because I accept him unconditionally," Jade told her.

"What about Sentinel?" Mayflower asked.

"That's a really good question," Jade shared, "I wish I had an answer."

"Didn't Obsidian join the Justice League while you pretended to have lost your power?" Mayflower inquired.

"And he went nuts and took off for months on end and then tried to destroy his stepfather and Detroit with him," Jade grimaced.

"So we're just finding him and blindsiding him with our presence, welcomed or not?" Mayflower had to ask.

"Todd won't hurt me," Jade promised.

"But I'm a variable," Mayflower realized.

"It won't come to that," Jade asserted, "You have to trust me."

"I do trust you, sis," Mayflower readily shared, "It's brother dear whom I've never met before that has me worried."

Jade wished she didn't have reason to be.

* * *

Superman and Steve Trevor bought into what Red Robin and Ravager were saying about the Daemonite threat. Rick Flagg had before embarking in his presidentially mandated mission. So David Cain had the Injustice League stand down.

Entering the Dome, the combined forces found the United Nations Secretary-General had already absconded by means of a matter-energy conversion beam. Barda's Mother Box sought the transmission's destination point. Blue Beetle couldn't help but wisecrack.

"She totally 'beamed me up, Scotty'," he snickered.

"Mother Box can't trace the signal's destination. It seems to have been transmitted southwest of here," Barda reported.

"If you'll excuse us," Red Robin stated as Ravager contacted Jenny Quantum and had her open a gate to Stormwatch headquarters.

"We totally need to get one of those," Blue Beetle quipped before noticing Barda's glare, "No offense to boom tubes, really."

Trevor acknowledged Waller's signal and noted Gwen had contacted Flagg, "Debrief at the Hall of Justice?"

"Exactly," Flagg confirmed his orders, "Think of us as your poorer, psychotic cousins."

"I believe we should represent as well," Cain interjected.

"I already hate this," Trevor confessed.

"I'll get it cleared," Flagg offered.

* * *

The JLA, Suicide Squad, and Injustice League departed together. Superman paced about the empty halls, "We should handle this alone."

"This is a worldwide threat," Fire protested.

"Which makes it our responsibility alone," Superman snorted.

"These are alien invaders!" Fire nearly shouted.

"So are J'onn, Barda, Shayera, and myself," Superman scowled.

"Fine," Fire huffed, "We'll just beat on the _bad_ aliens."

"And who establishes that?" Superman asked, "These are just pilgrims stranded on Earth. Do we kill them for their mishap?"

"They kill people!" Fire did shout that time.

"They destroy the mind's of their human hosts," Barda pointed out, "They consider it a survival tool but there are other ways to survive."

Superman looked hurt that Barda sided against his argument.

"We need to decide what we'll do about the Daemonites and swiftly," Ice urged.

"We stand down," Superman commanded, "We serve at the United Nations' behest. The UN serves the Daemonites. Until we find another authority to sanction our actions, we do nothing."

"Which is a helluva choice," Fire growled. Barda looked inclined to join her.

Ice interrupted, "These Daemonites are going forward with their plans so we need to hurry up and find our authority to answer to."

"Barda, can you get us back to headquarters?" Superman asked, "From there I can contact the other groups and pull them out of their situations."

"Easy enough," Barda said uneasily.

* * *

Scandal Savage was ready to skewer the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister's husband held the PM hostage. Knockout burst through a reinforced wall and totally unnerved the Daemonite hosts. The New God grinned at Scandal.

"Miss me?" Knockout asked.

"Terribly," Scandal was solely focused on her targets.

"We'll kill her," the husband declared.

"No great loss," Knockout shrugged.

The PM looked wounded while her husband countered, "You're bluffing."

"Try me," Knockout growled. Knockout advanced on the Daemonites and the Home Secretary fired on her with a pistol. Knockout giggled, "That tickles."

Scandal surged forward and impaled the Home Secretary and then slashed the throat of the PM's husband. She pulled the Prime Minister free of the corpse's grip. Then the Daemonites emerged from the host bodies. Knockout crushed the skull of the closest to her. Scandal used her Lamentation Blades to separate a Daemonite's head from its shoulders.

John and Shayera entered the room and Scandal dismissed them, "All yours, Green Lantern."

The JLers were stumped as they took over caring for the PM and explaining to her what seemed to be going on. Meanwhile, Zealot was gathering her force for an extraction by Jenny Quantum. The JLA and Task Force X were formerly allied with the Daemonite Hunters now. But the Injustice Rogues travelled to the Moon with Zealot's force.

* * *

Plastic Man was recalled to JLU headquarters in Connecticut. He declined to obey those summons. Instead he continued to bring the US President to the Hall of Justice. En route, Penny and Hula Hula joined in agreement with Plas' decision to return to the JLA.

* * *

Grifter called a truce between his group and Task Force X. Karin Grace listened to his intent for his visit to Moscow, "I understand the gravity of the situation but I can't allow you to kill a sitting prime minister of a foreign power."

"Putin wanted Medvedev in office when he left the presidency," Grifter reminded Karin, "Parliament pulled a fast one, arranged by the Daemonites, to appoint Kolonov prime minister. He's no longer even really alive. His mind has been erased to make room for an alien presence."

An explosion leveled the dacha and Grifter nodded in that direction, "Seems like it's a moot point anyway."

"I can't let you leave," Karin declared, "The Russian authorities will want to question you."

Grifter pulled a pistol and shot Karin's shoulder holster so swiftly she couldn't react, "You gonna hold me here?"

Karin glared at him while Sofia contacted Jenny Quantum and got the Daemonite Hunters extracted after Deathblow rejoined them. Grifter allowed Enigma and the Injustice Titans to come with. The Suicide Squad slipped out of the country the way they entered it despite the dragnet and sealed borders.

* * *

Gunslinger had a clear shot at the party chairman in China. Arsenal and Cheshire brought Wonder-Woman into submission. Cheshire assessed the situation.

"We're drawing an official reaction," Cheshire warned Arsenal.

"Maybe Gunslinger came through," Arsenal hoped.

"Or she probably got cold feet," Cheshire snarled.

* * *

Horus finally beat Super-Man into unconsciousness. But he felt fatigue despite Lord Satanus and Lady Blaze's promises. Horus cried Blaze's name and lightning descended to heal his wounds. Then Ahmed Tomaz briefly grieved over his sister's decision to abandon Isis' power.

Demons were just power brokers like other supernatural beings. Adrianna and Teth-Adam had done real good with the power granted them. And what fate lay in wait for Kahndaq now that the king and queen were mere mortals again?

Maul and Warblade operated on a frenzied level that Bat-Man systematically exploited to render them injured and harmless. Arsenal used traditionally tipped arrows when he put six of them in Bat-Man.

"And you call yourselves a 'Covert Action Team'," Cheshire sneered as Maul and Warblade recognized the fact that she and Arsenal had put down a dozen military police. Horus was mopping up an armored column.

"What about your teammate?" Warblade verbally accosted Cheshire, "Will she succeed?"

"Even if Gunslinger fails to pull the trigger, Deathstroke brought in help to insure we achieve our goal," Cheshire promised.

* * *

Patricia Trayce had begun as a patrol officer with the GCPD. She'd moved up in rank and experience until she qualified for her detective's shield. But Pat began to believe Batman was right all along and sidelined the police presence in several cases so she could deal as harshly with the perpetrator as she wanted to.

A chanced encounter with Slade Wilson had earned Pat several things. First was an on and off again sexual relationship. So defined because while it merited Pat some sense of obligation from Slade it was based on mutual respect rather than romance. Slade still pined away for his one and only wife, Adeline Kane despite her repeated attempts to kill him. Attempts that had only increased in frequency after Rose's existence had been revealed.

Second, Slade equipped Pat in the gear formerly used by the Vigilante. Adrian Chase had adopted the guise after Greg Saunders went into semiretirement. When Saunders came back to his cowboy persona he quickly hunted down the masked pretender and incarcerated Chase. So the Gunslinger identity was created to capitalize on the fear the second Vigilante had created amongst criminals without infringing on the original Vigilante's sensibilities.

Lastly, Deathstroke was frequently hired to destroy rival criminal gangs by other criminal cartels. Tattooed Man and Gunslinger joined the Titans in order to fulfill those contracts. And it seemed, to save the world on occasion.

Gunslinger knew the Daemonite in power was associated with the Party Chairman if not the chairman himself. She rested around the corner of the hallway leading to the chairman's office. Gunslinger hesitated because she didn't know the identity of the alien invader with any certainty. If she killed the chairman and he wasn't a Daemonite host, it would be pure, cold blooded murder.

And the guards represented a separate moral dilemma. She couldn't just kill them either. And their imperative would be to block any effort Gunslinger made to determine who the host was.

Gunslinger came around the corner and aimed her assault rifle at one guard and then another. The guards yelled instructions in Mandarin Chinese which Gunslinger didn't understand a word of it. She shot to wound the closest sentry but her wound was a fatal one.

She closed to grapple with the closest remaining guard. The other two held back to shoot her if she succeeded…or failed. And failure seemed imminent because each of the guard's was a highly ranked Kung Fu master.

But each of the other two guards were struck in the left eye with a black arrow in succession. It so unnerved the guard fighting Gunslinger, he backed away from her and she drew her revolver and killed him out of sheer panic.

Then she spun to face the mysterious archer. And she found Nyssa Raatko casually strolling towards her. Nyssa was clearly displeased.

"Slade warned me you would choke once you reached this pinnacle," Nyssa scowled, "You haven't embraced the simple truth that there are no innocents. And until you do you are a threat not only to yourself but your comrades in arms."

"You haven't won anything," the chairman warned them, "I have contacted Lord Daemonite and he will not be coming here."

Nyssa fired an arrow and killed the host. Gunslinger emptied her pistol into the revealed Daemonite when it solidified, "You might have a point."

"I believe an extraction is called for at this point," Nyssa suggested.

Gunslinger contacted Jenny Quantum and learned Cheshire had already pulled the others out. So Nyssa joined the others on the Moon and found her Injustice Rogues and Titans were already there. And she tracked down the Injustice League.

* * *

While the WildCATS declared a ceasefire against the JLU, it took J'onn longer to fully rein in the Suicide Squad's all out attack on the JLA. J'onn was startled as Nightshade called off her force and General Glory accepted their presence. And M'gann explained the presence of the three remaining free Teen Titans.

Inside the Chancellery, Black Canary and Cupid made their way through the sentries to the Chancellor's office. Projectionist joined them and unsealed the security locks. Inside, the Chancellor cowered behind her desk.

"This isn't right," Projectionist acknowledged.

Black Canary struck out at the body moving behind them. The Daemonite host laughed, "Stupid humans. We're everywhere and we'll inevitably conquer you and breed you to host our hatchlings."

"You're the race that opened the door for the White Martians to invade," Black Canary delved into the long held secret.

"Too true," the Daemonite chuckled, "They wanted water and we wanted the mammals infesting this world. It was a natural pairing. But that truth will never leave this chamber."

Cupid plunged a knife in the host body's chest. Then she sequentially fired six arrows into the manifested Daemonite. The Chancellor was totally unnerved.

"Mein Gott! What was that…?" she stammered.

"A monster playing at being a man," Black Canary answered, "Now if you could call off your security forces, we'll be on our way."

* * *

The JLU returned to Connecticut with the Teen Titans with them. The JLA and the Suicide Squad went to the hall of Justice in Brooklyn. Dinah, Cupid, Projectionist and the WildCATS reported to Stormwatch. And Weatherman arranged for them all to report to the Hall of Justice as well and coordinate with the ARGUS forces.

Deathstroke, Grifter, Lord Emp, Zealot, Black Canary, Nyssa, and Red Robin represented the Daemonite Hunters. Trevor and Flagg represented their respective agencies. Waller and Weatherman represented ARGUS and Stormwatch respectively. The assaults had prompted the Daemonites to hunker down and travel to their central locus, the starship that carried them to Earth to begin with. There they would make their final stand. And there, the assembled humans ad aliens would drive a stake into Lord Daemonite's heart and eradicate the entire infestation on Earth.


	12. Chapter 12

14

At the 1WTC, Claire Montgomery held court with the corporate sponsor liaisons. As disconcerted as they were to hear of the Conglomerate's action against Disco Mummy, they were pleased to discover that the team could slow down the Justice League Unlimited. An ability that might prove useful to abscond away with trade secrets in case of Justice League intervention.

While everyone scribbled those facts down in their margins, they ignored the simple aspect that Disco Mummy was the target of the team's ongoing efforts. LexCorp was the first to distance themselves from Disco Mummy and the others fell in without the barest qualm. It was also seen as a public relations coup that the Conglomerate was working with the former Justice Society.

Roxy similarly held court at the K-Star Ranch, "The woman calling herself 'Disco Mummy' is reportedly a Sumerian princess predating the Assyrian Empire. Through private treasure hunts and archeological digs, Disco Mummy has utilized financiers and investment banker to capitalize her growing wealth. Unlike Warren Buffet, she owns whole transnational corporations in addition to sizeable chunks of rival corporations."

"How can she own anything?" Jakeem wanted to know, "She's a freaking mummy."

"The enchanted wrappings preserving her youth can be removed for short durations allowing Disco Mummy to appear in her youthful vigor," Roxy explained, "But if she goes without them for too long, she mummifies."

"She has to be stopped and destroyed," Dove interjected.

Most everyone was startled by the declaration. Just simply because it came from Dove and not Hawk. Mr. Terrific asked her to clarify her statement.

"Disco Mummy is unleashing ardent Chaos magic and unraveling the very essence of Order. The Lords of Order have intervened twice to stave off a new Age of Chaos but their willingness to do so will evaporate if this keeps going on," Dove had communed with her Lord of Order sponsor.

"I'm certain we can detain Disco Mummy without destroying her outright," Mr. Terrific countered.

"No, you really can't," Anna Fortune spoke up, "The woman's already technically dead. And she's tapping into elemental forces that haven't been unleashed on this world since the Dark Ages. I'm certain we'd all like to avoid the excesses experienced then. And mankind is more technologically crafty then those benighted centuries. The potential for mass extermination of all life on Earth is now a reality and one the Lords of Chaos would gladly encourage their devotees to follow in order to expunge the threat that is Earth Prime."

"Disco Mummy seems to have been living a half-life for thousands of years," Flash counseled, "She may prefer death to capture."

"I thought we disbanded the Justice Society back in WWII just `cause we didn't want the JSA ta become a weapon. We left it up to individuals to choose if they wanted ta fight the war as common soldiers."

"This isn't warfare and it might be her own choice to die," Atom Smasher suggested.

"Hear me," Anna stressed, "This is warfare whether you wish to acknowledge it to not. But if Chaos is released upon this age then everything you know or hold dear will be perverted if not utterly destroyed."

"We have assisted foes commit suicide before through direct action or inaction," Sentinel reminded his fellow Founders, "Allowing Disco Mummy to choose to end her life might actually be a kindness."

"And our experts on Order agree," Sand pointed out.

"An' Chaos," Hawk shared, "Every time the Chaos magic gets released I get jazzed up and just wanna tear everybody apart."

"As the Green Ghoul can attest to," Dove reminded everyone.

Vapor's holographic image stirred at that point, _"Look, you All Stars do what you want. We're committed to taking Disco Mummy down as a threat. Whether she lives or dies is up to her. We'll help her choose if need be."_

That sobered everyone up. Mr. Terrific queried Roxy, "Have you found Disco Mummy's location?"

"That was easy; she's in the Trump Tower. She has a penthouse there," Roxy grinned.

"You mean she left Iraq and went straight to Manhattan?" Vapor exploded.

"Pretty much," Roxy saucily remarked.

 _"Oh, for the love of God!"_ Vapor exclaimed disgustedly.

"Roxy, alert Mike and Zinda that we need the All Star Racer prepped for action," Mr. Terrific requested, "I'd ask that the Conglomerate wait for us before taking action."

 _"Whatever,"_ Vapor snorted.

"Can we rustle up a few more Marvels?" Aztek wondered.

"I'm the only Marvel left," Black Mary shared, "Long story. And Courtney and I are flying to Fawcett City International to meet Billy and Freddy when they get off of their flight from Kahndaq."

"But you could wait," Mr. Terrific interrupted.

"This is nonnegotiable," Black Mary hotly declared.

She and Stargirl dismissed them. Sand voiced the popular question of the moment, "What crawled up her butt and died?"

"I don't think Mary is who she was before travelling to Hell," Anna remarked.

"Where?" Hawk blurted.

"In order to assist Black Adam and Isis in defending Osiris from Shazam and the other Lords of Order, Mary among others took a side trip through Hell," Anna explained, "As she said, it's very long story but all of the Marvels save Mary were divested of their powers. And Mary lost the extra power she earned on Earth-3."

"And how do ya know all this, kiddo?" Wildcat asked.

"I have my ways," Anna deflected the question with a half truth.

* * *

"I can't fight anyone until I submerse myself in some decent water. Iraq dried me out to a dangerous level," Ulla shared with Vapor.

"Say 'hi' to Nightwing for me," Vapor winked, "Echo and Reverb are staying in the hospital the rest of you are with me. We're staking out Trump Tower."

* * *

Harper Row left Gotham City as soon as she learned Barbara Gordon had been spotted in Coral City. Bullock was covering for her with Gotham Electric. Vengeance Moth had briefly described Barbara's demeanor to Harper and it sounded as though Gordon was just as zombiefied as when she'd walked out of Blackgate.

Harper's van was fully equipped for her usual activities as Bluebird. Harper had been given address to steer towards but when she arrived it was a fire gutted ruin that didn't look like it had been inhabited for a century or more. Which was a very astute deduction.

Several teens met up with Harper. One of them, named Viola, was instantly in awe of Harper, "I love your mohawk. And I've always wanted to dye my hair blue."

"It's sort of my trademark," Harper admitted, "Where's Vengeance Moth?"

"She's manning the computers," a boy named Gregor told her, "Come on, the tunnel's this way this week."

"Tunnel?" Harper stood still.

"It's how we get to the Sweatshop," a third teen named Marjorie told her, "It's perfectly safe."

"What about my van?" Harper fretted.

"It's being watched over," an adolescent named Cynthia confided, "We'll take care of it."

Harper felt strange since she was barely older then her welcoming committee. But she saw the signs of abuse and neglect that had driven her and Cullen to strike out on their own. It was a sad statement when the streets were safer than their parents' homes.

* * *

Across the city, at a municipal airport, Gun Moll Flanders and her entourage landed. With her was Senator Henry Ballard, the Director of the 100 and an imminent candidate for the Presidency. Limos awaited everyone.

Intergang's muscle had sealed off a five block radius around the Gang's warehouse location. The Movement's eyes and ears had been brushed away in the sweeps. A fact which worried Vengeance Moth because she didn't have 'eyes on' the limos arrival.

* * *

After quick introductions, Harper awkwardly admitted she'd never had a clue that Ven was confined to a wheelchair. Vengeance Moth merely smiled, "Good."

Ven fished out a small package from her backpack, "Fruit snack?"

"Um…sure," Harper tentatively took it.

"Trust me, because I speak from experience, these are the best kind of addiction," Vengeance Moth said with disarming honesty.

Harper had always respected Vengeance Moth's skills on the Internet but now she instantly knew that the woman could easily become her best friend next to Stephanie Brown, "What've you got so far?"

Ven explained the push back from Intergang and how all their monitors had been moved five blocks from the scene. Harper asked about hacking navsats. Vengeance Moth explained that the appropriate satellites in position over Coral City had recently upgraded their security thanks to a Senator Ballard's initiatives.

"Ballard's crooked," Harper confided, "He's been involved in dozens of shady deals in Gotham but his legislative immunity skates him out of prosecution. But he always works for other people. I'm betting those people have a backdoor into the 'improved' security."

Harper joined Ven at the network bank and got busy. Two bottles of water and six fruit snacks later, Harper and Ven cracked Intergang's back door. Harper had whistle at the signatures attached to the files.

"Intergang," Harper almost groaned, "No wonder Ballard's crooked. And these guys have some brass ones to take over a city district in broad daylight."

"Captain Meers will have been handed orders to pull the police out of those areas," Vengeance Moth explained.

"Orders from whom?" Harper was irate.

"The mayor, the city council, the city administrator an anyone else who could profit from being in Intergang's pocket," Ven shrugged.

"Jesus, and I thought Gotham was bad," now Harper did actually groan.

"Now I call Holly and tell her she has to miss her date with Sarah," Ven started multitasking, "And text everyone else to get over here."

"I'll get my gear and suit up," Harper offered.

"I can take you back!" Viola volunteered.

* * *

Harper emerged from her van as Bluebird, "You seem awfully copacetic about all of this."

"Hey, we live with what you'd call heroes," Viola shared, "Powers or not, they're all super to us."

"I like the way you think," Bluebird admitted, "Let's go back inside."

* * *

Bluebird met the Movement. She remembered Katharsis brief reign of terror on Gotham's lowlifes before the GCPD ran her out of town. Katharsis had become disenchanted with Knightfall's program to discredit Batman and all things law enforcement. After she'd left town, she read that Batman had shut Knightfall down and Charise Carnes was scratching out a niche in prison rather than ruling Gotham.

"My van can get us near the location," Bluebird volunteered, "Then Ven and I can do our best to monitor the situation and distract the bozos on the street corners."

"Then we're in the sewers!" Mouse cheered.

"I can tunnel us into the warehouse once we have a location to exit from," Tremor offered.

"I'll get blueprints," Vengeance Moth promised.

"Katharsis?" Virtue could empathically sense her disgruntlement.

"She ran me out of home," Katharsis complained.

"But following your empathic link with her and riding your rage, I can sense she's a good woman. But her mind is trapped," Virtue explained, "And a rescue is a good way to make amends."

"Christopher, you seem reluctant," Virtue pointed out next.

"Sorry, it's just that I 'm missing my date with Bobby," Burden complained.

"And I'm missing dinner with Sarah," Virtue sympathized, "She rarely dresses up so I was looking to surprise her with getting our photos done together. But young love will endure if Bobby really wants to be with you. He'll understand that you have priorities and they include him."

"Thank you, Holly," Burden smiled angelically.

"So now we pile in the van," Ven grinned.

* * *

Jade and Mayflower met with Lt. Jackson, LAPD Robbery-Homicide. Jackson had some news for Jade, "I passed out your brother's picture to every division. I got a hit."

Jade looked expectant so Jackson tried to warn her about the news, "The hit came from Vice. Todd Rice was busted for being a high priced escort. He was briefly jailed for prostitution. A high roller bailed him out and the case was tossed after evidence disappeared and witnesses dried up."

"Not Todd," Jade firmly refused to believe it.

"He's being run out of a meta-human specializing agency by a woman called 'Vivid'," Jackson pressed on despite the denials, "Vivid was a porn star that has turned adult film producer starring metas and simultaneously works specialized brothels."

"Rice specializes in same sex pairings with other metas and norms as well," Jackson finished reading his notes.

"Todd's gay. Always has been," Jade said tersely, "Do you have an address?"

Jackson wrote down, "You may not like what you find there. Vivid is also his landlord."

"Let's go," Jade angrily told Mayflower.

Mayflower cast Jackson a consoling look before following Jade out of his office.

* * *

Todd was at the Ritz-Carlton – Los Angeles at that moment. Dwayne Baylor had become something of a regular client. And Todd could tell Dwayne wanted to become more. So Todd knew the conversation was about to get ugly.

"We could go away together," Dwayne suggested hopefully.

"You'd have to make arrangements with Vivid," Todd replied.

"I was talking about work. I was talking about relaxation. Maybe seeing the world together. Even tracking down your sister," Dwayne tried not to be offended.

"Dwayne, I really do like you," Todd left the _but_ unspoken, "This is business though. We take from it what we need."

"But it could be more," Dwayne protested.

"It's a transaction," Todd warned him, "You get what you pay for. You pay for more of my time and you get it."

"I know you have feelings for me as well," Dwayne insisted, "What kind of hold does Vivid have over you?"

"I honestly don't know," Todd admitted, "But even thinking about leaving her employ terrifies me."

"I can speak with her. Money talks, right?" Dwayne offered.

"You do what feels right and so will I," Todd neutrally replied, "Now, you have me for the whole evening and morning."

"I had champagne sent to the penthouse. We can talk further there," Dwayne suggested.

Todd hated himself for wanting to have the conversatiomn.

* * *

The three free Teen Titans were sent to the Hall of Justice by Superman. There, Deathstroke had summoned Angelica and Red Fury during the morning hours. ARGUS' resources were stretched thin in regards to the Daemonites thanks to the President's manipulations at the Chief of Staff's behest. Reallocating assets was going to take time.

Stormwatch had survived a revolt led by staffers loyal to the Daemonites. They weren't hosts but they were sycophants fanatically devoted to Daemonite domination over humanity. The survivors were being interrogated. Weatherman didn't expect to learn much but his base was on the Moon and only answerable to the Shadow Cabinet as an earthly authority. Any form of rendition had been authorized.

Angelica and Red Fury contacted their networks of contacts and obtained what information they could. Slade began to wonder where Red Robin had slinked off to. Beryl Hutchinson was swiftly becoming a bad influence on Ravager.

Red Robin and Ravager met with Red Hood, Fairchild, and Miss Martian. Fairchild practically spat venom, "I don't see why _she's_ here."

"Rose is an ally and a friend that we need," Red Robin promised her.

"She's here because she's your _girlfriend_ ," Fairchild hissed.

"Jealous much?" Ravager taunted Fairchild.

Red Robin knew Caitlin had fancied her while everyone thought that she was male. The revelation of Beryl's true gender identity had hit Fairchild hardest. Red Hood was sick of it all.

"Can we just get to the damn point?" he grated, "The government has the Teen Titans under lock and key. What are we going to do about it?"

"You wait until the Daemonites are dealt with and then the influences that caused them to be arrested will be over with and everyone will be released," Ravager suggested, "And you break them out of they aren't."

Deathstroke notched a point against Jason Todd. The question had been woefully naïve for a student trained by the League of Assassins. He hoped the others would prove themselves better.

"They'll just be used as pawns against us until we deal with the underlying threat," M'gann pointed out.

Deathstroke was pleased to see someone had some brains after all. Fairchild just couldn't let it go, "We still don't need _her_ help getting our people back."

"If you hadn't noticed, we're four of the last five people to join the Teen Titans," Red Robin reminded everyone, "We barely claim a right to the name. But we owe them our loyalty and our friendship. So we will help them best by doing what's right in front of us. And then we'll take each necessary step in turn afterwards."

Deathstroke heard Beryl's conviction in her words. And that power was what made her so dangerous to Rose. Ravager needed to have her options open at all times and not be bogged down with needless associations. Not even with him.

Angelica interrupted Slade's misery, "The Daemonites are massing in the American Southwest. They seemed to be clustered around their ancient spacecraft. It's reportedly been retrofitted into a fortress."

"And Lord Daemonite is leading the last stand," Red Fury confirmed as she approached them.

Deathstroke wore a grim smile, "So it's a trap. So much the better. They'll be overconfident."

* * *

Lord Emp and Zealot tried to rouse the remaining Kherabim but they were all ascetics living solitary lives waiting to die on a foreign world. So the assembled war council met together and began to outline and operations plan that would land the fatal blow on the Daemonite occupation of Earth.

* * *

Dwayne was spooning with Todd and dreaming of tomorrow's event. The Poxpo Expo was an underground event held by a teenager named Commodore Murphy. Murphy had already earned a ridiculous amount of wealth through the expos by subsidizing and proliferating technology beyond the cutting edge. But he also stood to inherit sixty-four trillion dollars when he turned nineteen. More than enough to pay off the national debt and still have an ungodly sum to finance several countries with.

Murphy's father had used his own wealth to become a meta-human and then a super villain named Riot. Murphy had gone the nanotech route instead. And he'd assembled a team of friends who'd been transformed by his technologies into what he called the Green Team.

Murphy drove a salvaged Batmobile as the team's power projection asset. His friends included JP Houston and his nonpowered sister, LL. Cecilia Sunbeam, the world's most famous actress and JP's girlfriend was also a member. Prince Mohammed Qahtanil was a teleporter and the team's principle means of transport. Mohammed's loyal bodyguard, Abisha, served as their strategic and tactical counselor. Mo had been disinherited for his Green Team activities but it suited since he'd discovered the truth about his family's great wealth and where it originated from. Human trafficking was a crime Mo couldn't overlook.

* * *

Katharsis flew over the quarantined blocks. Intergang's thugs reported her presence and then brandished weapons at her to warn her off. So she simply dove at them despite being hopelessly outnumbered. But Bluebird and Tremor needed a distraction for Tremor to open a tunnel into the warehouse and Bluebird to deploy her drones.

"We're set, let them go," Bluebird instructed Vengeance Moth, "Okay, you have control. I'll be helping Katharsis."

Bluebird jumped out of the van and led a merry chase as checkpoint sentries tried to stop while Ven dove drones at them, "Holly, have Roshanna proceed another fifty feet in a straight line and then go up through the floor. You'll be at the rear of the warehouse near the loading docks."

" _Got it!"_ Virtue replied.

* * *

"And why are we here?" Gun Moll Flanders asked imperiously of herself and Ballard.

"Because I told you to be here," Brains said succinctly, "And delude yourself that your supposed arrangement with Angelica Blaze will alter anything. Blaze told me of the terms of your supposed bargain. You could have asked for so much more considering Blaze's Galaxy Broadcasting ties with Intergang."

"So I'm your puppet?" Gun Moll asked irritably.

"In a word, yes," Brains divulged, "And I strongly suggest you tell your bodyguards to remove their hands from their shoulder holsters."

"Or what?" Gun Moll turned petulant.

Kong smashed the guards' heads together and gore oozed out of their fractured skulls. Brains offered a demure gasp, "Or that could happen."

Ballard began to distance himself from Gun Moll. Brains shook her head, "You're going to prove to be difficult aren't you?"

"I've been a kept woman. I'm never going back to that life," Gun Moll vowed.

"Even if it's your only option for survivability?" Brains inquired.

Gun Moll turned to Intergang's special enforcers standing near Ballard, "Line, Fly, and Wisp, deal with her."

"They already struck a deal," Brains shook her head sadly.

Gun Moll aimed a finger at Brains and her finger began to glow, "I didn't want it to end this way."

Brains shrugged, "It won't."

Gun Moll found she couldn't discharge the power building within her nor could she stop it at its current level, "What did you do to me?"

"See your line of sight, right over my left shoulder? That's Ms. Mesmer and you've been watching her. That's usually people's last mistake," Brains explained, "Now, will you cooperate?"

"I'd rather die." Gun Moll promised.

"Your choice," Brains flippantly replied, "Bulldozer, take Gun Moll across the street so it doesn't get messy inside here."

Gun Moll's arm below the elbow detonated. Brains whirled on Bulldozer, "Now!"

Bulldozer charged in a straight line. He went through the outer wall and into the street. Plowing through the Intergang forces battling Bluebird and Katharsis, Bulldozer charged into the neighboring building. Skidding to a halt, he dropped the agonized Gun Moll and reversed direction and ran back out the way he'd come.

Gun Moll's demise leveled the building and a wave of concussive force flattened Intergang and its opponents. As they rose, Bulldozer also got up and sprinted inside the warehouse from where he'd come, "Brains! Those two women the thugs outside are dealing with are both from Gotham."

"You're sure?" Brains was skeptical.

"Positive," Bulldozer assured her, "It's the hacker girl and the crazy one with the sword and wings."

"Line, Wisp, and Fly, prove you're useful," Brains ordered, "The rest of us need to stay sharp. Katharsis left Gotham and came here to join the collective known as the Movement. They never travel alone."

Brains pushed past Ballard and narrowed her focus in on Numbers Malone, "I need every pass code and account number for the entire Intergang."

"Why would I know that?" Numbers asked.

"It's what you do," Brains reminded him, "You have a singular function within Intergang. Cease to have functionality and I will permanently remove you. Senator Ballard can represent our interest and legally achieve my aims. If you make it ever so much easier, you'll live longer."

* * *

In the rear of the sprawling warehouse, the floor dropped out and deformed a ramp up into the remaining concrete. Hundreds of rats and mouse poured up into the light like a rodent tidal wave. Mouse followed them accompanied by Virtue, Burden, and Tremor. Mouse had been besotted with Tremor at one time to her great revulsion. Virtue had found him someone far more compatible and true love had been born.

The mice and rats poured out into the empty main floor. Brains took notice, "Kong and Bulldozer, deal with it. Ms. Mesmer, secure Numbers while I get Ballard into hiding."

As Kong and Bulldozer waded through vermin, they killed the rodents wholesale. Mouse cried with a name for every one and a declaration that that one was his favorite. In the end, it was simply the fact every one was a favorite. It was how Mouse thought of loved ones and friends.

Bulldozer ran across Tremor, knocking her out. Burden was alarmed as Kong loomed over her. Burden transformed into his demonic form and now his strength equaled Kong's. So their battle began.

Mouse tended to Tremor while Virtue confronted Brains. Brains laughed in her face, "Don't even think about reading me."

Virtue blinked and halted and Brains laughed even harder, "You think I'd just wander into the Tweens blind and deaf?"

"This is a trap," Virtue realized.

"Bingo, sweetheart!" Brains applauded her deductive work even if it was slow in coming, "I was rather hoping you'd bring your weather witch girlfriend with you though."

Virtue began to panic. Few people knew she was dating Sarah Rainmaker. Even fewer knew Rainmaker was a meta-human.

* * *

Katharsis met Fly in the air. She had all sorts of unspeakable plans for him. Line fired his bolo tipped rope and snared Bluebird's ankle and yanked her foot from underneath her. Wisp gassed her into oblivion.

"All too easy," Wisp said through his highly modified gas mask.

"She wasn't on the target list," Line complained.

"So she's a late arrival or an unexpected guest. Either way, she's our prisoner now," Wisp reasoned it out.

* * *

Fly blew Katharsis out of the sky with his voltage guns. Wisp dealt with her as he had Bluebird. Five blocks away, Vengeance Moth watched over the drone transmissions. It was only a matter of time before they sent someone after her.

She couldn't drive and her wheelchair would be too slow to escapes. But if she abandoned both and used her psionic ability, she might make it to the Sweatshop before she passed out from the strain. She knew there was no other choice.

Green translucent energy moth wings formed on either side of her and she flew out of the van and down the streets, recounting the way Harper had driven her. Meanwhile, Fly found the locked van and forced the sliding door open to reveal an abandoned wheelchair inside the cargo bay.

Fly reported in, "The cripple pulled a runner."

" _Get back here,"_ Brains ordered over the radio, _"I have other tasks for you now."_

Ven landed outside the Sweatshop and passed out as she'd predicted she would. Passing teens making their way to the access tunnel found her and spread the word. They carried an army cot out and used it as a makeshift stretcher. Then they sent an envoy to Rainmaker's territory.


	13. Chapter 13

13

The All Stars were deploying as three separate teams as they offloaded from the hovering All Star Racer. The Conglomerate had arrived around Trump Tower earlier to find the edifice discreetly guarded by four individual super villain teams. The Fourth Reich and Axis Amerika had been loaned out to Disco Mummy a second time in order to redeem themselves in Luthor's estimation. Disco Mummy herself had recruited the Breakers and the Injustice Society.

Vapor conferred with Mr. Terrific in assigning individuals and teams to deal with specific threats. It was agreed that the NYPD should cordon off the blocks surrounding the tower. Lt. Dan Jurgens handled that. Once everyone had an assignment, Zinda flew the All Star Racer to Ferris Aircraft's corporate field to land beside the Invisible Jet.

Vapor chose Breakdown as her opponent. He and the Breakers were a wild variable since no one knew who they were. But after their appearance at the United Nations campus, _everyone_ knew they were dangerous. So the added factor that he seemed to be the group's leader only added to Vapor's impetus to personally confront him.

Her acidic mist form should prove immune to his decaying power. And her own caustic nature was a counter to his entropic ability. It was like throwing gas on a match.

Breakdown grew pensive as Vapor floated near, "It'll be interesting to see what happens next."

"Too true," Vapor's ephemeral voice replied.

Breakdown cried as Vapor scalded him with her acid touch. He retreated into the building through a service entrance. Vapor solidified and followed him. Inside she found him braced up against a main structural load bearing support.

"You're already too late," Breakdown relished saying.

Cracks shot up through the support up through every floor. Then the effect spread across walls to the other supports. Breakdown let go of the building.

"My work here is done," he cackled, "Now; do you chase the bad guy or save the tenants?"

"Oh hell," Vapor griped as Breakdown took off.

* * *

Crosscut threw energy saw blades at Dr. Light and Rising Sun. The pair had underestimated their foe at first and bore multiple lacerations from his disc blades. But Crosscut had merely been toying with them until that point.

Now that they were blasting his saws out of the air, he worked at a frenetic pace to construct and throw them. Dr. Light created a strobe flare that blinded Crosscut. Rising Sun's solar blast severely burned his skin and dehydrated him. The Dr. Light used a photon blast that hit Crosscut like a racing car.

"Who are these people?" Rising Sun asked Dr. Light in Japanese.

"I don't know but Vapor is waving at us rather frantically," she replied in kind.

The walls and supports of Trump Tower began cracking and splintering. Rising Sun grimaced, "I think she has a good reason to."

* * *

Maxi-Man had already broken free of a half a dozen constructs. Lightweaver solidified light and used it the way a Lantern power ring utilized an aspect of the motional spectrum. Praxis finally dropped Lightweaver with a psionic blast.

"I think our troubles have just begun," Maxi-Man pointed at Trump Tower.

Praxis could hardly disagree.

* * *

Intersek possessed the ability to block or hijack transmissions. Whether mechanical or biological. So Red Tornado was her hostage as she blocked all internal communications from his CPU to his body and instead created her own message traffic to employ Reddy as a weapon against Supergirl.

Matrix's extradimensional physiology inhibited Intersek's ability to confound her body. And Supergirl's own telekinetic ability derived from her mind and that partially shielded her as well. As Reddy turned on Supergirl, Matrix grabbed him and flew above the city as far and fast as she could.

And she broke Intersek's hold over Red Tornado. Reddy acknowledged that fact in the thin atmosphere, "Thank you, Supergirl. I'm quite myself again."

"Stay here until I call you," Supergirl instructed before she dove back towards Manhattan to confront Intersek.

But despite Matrix thinking she was prepared to be Intersek's sole focal point, she was proven to be mistaken. Intersek's power, though diminished against Supergirl, was effective enough to cause Supergirl to go astray and plow through the street level into the subway tunnels below.

Intersek decided to leave before Supergirl properly recovered, and she saw every one of her teammates but Breakdown was down. But Breakdown provided the perfect distraction because Trump Tower, a veritable manifesto of the greed and oppression the Breakers fought against was destined to collapse to the ground. Which suited Intersek's own goals as she traipsed off to liberate her comrades.

* * *

Strange Visitor got Gypsy going up the stairs, "Get everyone you can out of this building. I'll deal with Disco Mummy."

And then Sharon Vance streaked up the stairs as a blur of light.

"Sure, no problem," Gypsy grimaced.

* * *

Maxi-Man was trying to brace a corner of the Trump Tower while Dr. Light and Rising Sun were attempting emergency welds of the structure. That left Praxis alone to guard the fallen Crosscut and Lightweaver.

But Intersek's attack was blunted by Jason Praxis' own prodigious psychic abilities. She found herself hard pressed to keep _him_ at bay, "Wake up, you idiots!"

As Intersek shouted at them, Crosscut began to come to. Lightweaver was the younger brother of the original. The older brother had passed his gen active powers to his brother on the event of his death. Recruitment into the Breakers had seemed natural to the revenge driven youth.

The first Lightweaver had devoted his life to anarchy. The new Lightweaver just wanted to burn the world down to nothing. And as Crosscut awoke him, he saw an opportunity.

"No!" Breakdown shouted as he revealed himself and seemingly reads Lightweaver's mind, "We humiliate them and tarnish their precious reputations. This building will collapse within the half hour. They can't possibly save everyone even if they bothered to try. Let the masses see these hypocrites for the self-absorbed tools of the present order that they are."

Lightweaver conceded and created a construct dome for his teammates to ride in as he flew them away. The absconded to a safe house in Gotham where the police would protect them from being pursued by the Conglomerate or JSA All Stars.

* * *

Sentinel and Solomon Grundy had been battling ever since Alan Scott was first chosen by the Green Flame to be Earth's first Green Lantern. The decades Alan spent in Limbo, Grundy walked the Earth and battled the next generations of heroes, culminating in both an enmity and friendships with Shayera Hol and Galatea. But Shayera was married now and Power Girl was MIA. So Grundy had gone back to the Injustice Society and the only true family he had ever known.

Grundy's attack was even more brutal and vicious than ever before, except when he'd been temporarily reanimated by Chaos magic. Sentinel knew he had to get Grundy away from populated areas, so he snared the zombie with a construct net and hauled him out to the abandoned Ellis Island complexes and dumped him off there. Grundy couldn't swim but neither could he drown. So it would be a ponderous walk back to Manhattan.

Sentinel began to spot the results of Breakdown's work as he approached Trump Tower.

* * *

"I really wanted to kick Courtney's ass again," Shiv used Stargirl's given name, "But you'll do."

"I'm honored," Dr. Mid-Nite drolly replied.

"Oh, you _will_ be," Shiv threw her staff which activated and began a mechanical python.

Dr. Mid-Nite realized Shiv was directing the robot's movements. So he fired a dart at Shiv and activated the homing signal it produced. His pet great horned owl, Hootie, flew in and attacked Shiv. Blades projected out of her skin through strategically placed slits in her costume and she tried to slice or impale Hootie.

Dr. Mid-Nite dragged the robot snake to a water drainage outlet and dumped it into the sewer. Then he called off Hootie. Shiv quickly realized what had happened.

"Clever, Doc. But how're you gonna keep me from slicing you to pieces?" Shiv wondered.

Dr. Mid-Nite's reply was a blackout bomb. The inky darkness surrounded them, obscuring her vision and enhancing his. But Shiv had trained with the Shade and was growing more confident in fighting in stygian darkness. But Dr. Mid-Nite expertly struck from every direction and all at once it seemed. Her counter attacks and defenses always came too late to harm him.

He resorted to using a second blackout bomb when light first began to penetrate the edges of the last field. The knockout blow came seconds afterwards and Dr. Mid-Nite cuffed Shiv around a street lamp. Then he heard Trump Tower begin to groan.

"That doesn't bode well," he remarked.

* * *

"Well, well, this should prove interesting after all," Anna Fortune found herself confronted by the seemingly ageless Wizard, "Shall I take this as Johnny Sorrow having tucked his tail and run at last?"

"Sorrow is too busy reclaiming control over the Subtle Realms thanks to you lot," Wizard said contemptuously.

"I hear you're as out of time as I am," Anna commented.

"But unlike you, I never jumped a century to reappear in this era," Wizard sneered.

"Tosh, we both know that's a life," Anna scolded him.

"You've spoken with Amos. Haven't you, you little tart?" Wizard accused. Amos Fortune was Anna's great-great-grandnephew with a singular talent for bringing tarot cards to life. Amos had used his power to attack the All Stars in an effort to exact a perverse revenge against Anna for abandoning the family to a destitute life all in the name of love and honor.

"Amos was full of tales revolving around your schemes," Anna told him, "Including that you knew when I would reappear amongst mankind and serve as an Agent of Order."

"Precognition is a minor talent of mine," Wizard admitted, "But except for that one instant, you are obscured from my visions. You're a blank slate in the fabric of time. And that troubles me."

"It does sound rather troubling, doesn't it?" Anna said playfully, "Now should we just get down to it? I'll give you first rites."

Wizard cast a death curse that nearly killed _him_ instead, "What the hell?"

"Did I forget to mention I wrapped you in a safety net spell before we ever began conversing? Silly me," while the Wizard cursed Anna cast another spell. This one placed him in an enchanted slumber only to be broken by her consent or by true love's first kiss. She rather doubted the latter would ever occur.

The building began to fracture beside where Anna stood, "This should prove mildly entertaining."

* * *

Geo-Mancer was tearing 5th Avenue apart as he hurled it at Atom Smasher in a cascading wave. Then he opened the earth beneath the giant and Atom Smasher fell into the chasm until only his head and shoulders stuck above the street. So Atom Smasher shrank down to his normal human proportions before growing again to rupture the street level.

Having broken free, Atom Smasher clubbed Geo-Mancer with a massive fist. Seeing the geokinetic was unconscious, he took his first notice of the fact Trump Tower was beginning to buckle. So Al hurried to brace it with his own body.

* * *

Icicle threw his hands forwards and ice dagger materialized in the air before him and flew straight and true for Commander Steel's heart. They struck and impaled him and Icicle gloated. Then Commander Steel calmly swiped the broken ice away. In a mild panic, Icicle created a sheet of ice between himself and Commander Steel.

His great-grandfather, the original Icicle, had fought the original Steel. So Icicle knew there were still human organs beneath Commander Steel's synthetic exterior. But even freezing Commander Steel's own body barely deterred him. And if nothing else, Commander Steel's metal skeleton would shatter if enough cold were brought to bear.

Commander Steel finally ended Icicle's misery with a reinforced punch to the jaw that knocked Icicle out. Then he struggled to warm himself back up. Icicle would never know how close he'd come to stopping Commander Steel in his tracks.

* * *

Tigress prided herself on her ability to track and kill anything…including human beings. But that was all predicated on her ability to inflict harm. And Judomaster seemed impossibly elusive. The only time Tigress seemed to connect with Sonia Sato was when Judomaster hit or kicked Artemis Crock.

But Tigress blocked every blow. So she deftly pulled out two hidden blades and held them inversely in order to bite Judomaster's flesh when she blocked the next blow. But Judomaster evaded the strike although it meant abandoning the punch. So it seemed they were in a standoff.

Then Commander Steel punched Tigress, "Seems I'm handling pest control on the entire family today."

"And I, for once, needed your assistance," Judomaster smiled, "So I thank you."

"You don't need to," Commander Steel began to blush.

"But I do," she held his hand tightly.

Then chunks of glass from the layered, polished glass exterior of Trump Tower began to fall to the pavement below.

"Just great," Commander Steel complained.

* * *

Shade enveloped Lightning in darkness. It seemed to absorb her electrical discharges and he gloated as he asked, "Comfy?"

Lightning discharged every iota of power she had stored. The darkness evaporated and Shade was laid out in the street with wisps of smoke coming off of his monochromatic clothing.

"Serves you right," Lightning decided. Then she heard the shattering glass and the rising screams, "Oh crap!"

* * *

Killer Wasp's bioelectric stings hit Hawk one after the other. But Hawk's recuperative powers insured that they were a mere annoyance. As Killer Wasp took flight, Hawk grabbed his ankle and bounced him between the building's façade and a nearby lamp post.

"Wanna do this fer real now?" Hawk snarled at Killer Wasp.

Hawk was delighted to find Killer Wasp was a decent boxer but he was still defeated inside 90 seconds. And the Trump Tower began to come apart. And Hawk's only thought was to secure Dove's safety.

Ragdoll's triple-jointed body proved a challenge for Dove at first but she quickly deduced which of his nerve clusters were still exposed and vulnerable. And after a quick succession of blows, he stood paralyzed before her.

And Hawk ran up and knocked Ragdoll out, "Quit screwin' around"

"Um…thank you?" Dove wondered what was up Hawk's beak now.

"This buildin' is comin' apart an' this ain't the whole Injustice Society," Hawk warned her.

"I know and I know," Dove calmly replied, reminding him she was hyperaware of her surroundings at all times, "In fact, we confronted the Injustice Society members that are present here on 5th while the Conglomerate faced the Breakers on a cross street while other All Stars have been dueling with bad guys on the other two faces of the building. And given the spreading structural damage reminiscent of the UN campus, I'd guess Breakdown is responsible for destroying Trump Tower."

"So whadd'a we do?" Hawk wondered.

"I'll fly upwards and begin evacuating the upper floors," Dove instructed, "You rally the troops down here and get them moving to evacuate each floor in progression."

"Got it!" Hawk gave her a thumbs up and raced off. Dove began her ascent and realized that the reason she loved Hank Hall was because he was utterly reliable when the world fell apart.

* * *

Flash marveled at just how fleet footed Baroness Blitzkrieg was without accessing the Speed Force. She was on par with Trajectory but not as fast as Kid Flash or Jesse Quick. Just as they weren't as fast as Jay Garrick and he wasn't as fast as Wally West. And Wally was never as fast as Barry Allen had been.

Learning from Sentinel, Flash kept Baroness Blitzkrieg on the move and constantly exerting herself. By pushing her psionic abilities to their max, he could wear her down and her mental energies would no longer grant her fleetness of foot. As the Baroness slowed, Flash intervened despite hating to hit women.

When she was down, he saw Sentinel streaking in to assist Atom Smasher in bolstering Trump Tower to slow its collapse. Flash decided to assist as well.

* * *

Baron Blitzkrieg's meta-human powers also stemmed from his mind. But where his great-granddaughter had inherited his ability to focus his psionic energies into superhuman speed, the Baron himself also projected super strength, flight capabilities, enhanced durability, and he had been surgically altered not to feel any pain. Given this, it was little wonder Sand fought a losing battle to bury Baron Blitzkrieg.

When the Justice Society reformed after World War II, rumors persisted that Baron Blitzkrieg had survived and remained free. The Sandman was one of many that searched for the Baron even after the JSA was relegated to the demonic Limbo. Unlike most of his fellow Nazis, Baron Blitzkrieg did not retreat to Argentina or Brazil.

Instead the Baron travelled to upstate Maine and built a reclusive manor where he indulged his passions with stolen Nazi gold. He'd brought with him a veritable harem of SS breeding women. So the Fuhrer's eugenics program survived. Eventually the Baron, through proxies, recruited others into the fold and introduced acceptable genes into the Baron's own lineage.

Most of his offspring yielded little in the way of psychic powers. But finally Baroness Blitzkrieg surpassed them all. And all of his progeny were steeped in the ideals of Nationals Socialism. But that didn't mean the Baron hadn't been discovered through the long decades following World War II.

Baron Blitzkrieg contacted Captain Nazi's brother after the Tarantula came looking for him. And they created a mutual support network. Others followed the Tarantula. Amazing Man, Robotman, Citizen Steel, Americommando, the original Blue Beetle, Dr. Occult, and Sargon the Sorcerer had all found Blitzkrieg is some decade or another. And Blitzkrieg killed them all and deposited their bodies several states away. The mysteries surrounding their murders remained until the present day.

Then the Guardian came. A clone of the original Jim Harper from Baron Blitzkrieg's era, it appeared they died fighting one another and Blitzkrieg's family and operatives moved to Montana where the Baron rejoined them while the government grew another Guardian in a vat.

Blitzkrieg, tired of waiting, impatiently contacted Captain Nazi's family again only to discover the good Captain had been revived and his great-grandniece had been injected with the gen activating formula that transformed her into Madame Libertine. And they had another partner who survived the clinical trials to become Captain Murder. But the formula was lost when the elderly scientist died before amending his notes regarding the final modifications.

All the research notes were written after the fact in a hidden code that seemed to be written in a dead language. So retracing the steps that created Captains Nazi and Murder as well as Madame Libertine would have to begin as though it were a fresh project all over again. But Captain Swastika seemed confident he could eventually break the code regardless of what language it was written.

And Captain Nazi activated the long gestating network of Nazi sympathizers and adherents that Blitzkrieg and the scientist had been building for decades and the Fourth Reich assembled. And mysteriously, Blackstarr petitioned Captain Nazi to accept Luthor's offer of an alliance with the Legion of Doom.

Baron Blitzkrieg knew he didn't have even half his former endurance, so he withdrew before falling prey to Sand's geokinetic powers. Spotting Baroness Blitzkrieg helpless on the ground beneath him, Baron Blitzkrieg scooped her up in his arms and headed west for Montana. There they could recuperate and assist the Fourth Reich liberate themselves if need be.

* * *

King Chimera utterly baffled Baron Gestapo. Gestapo was armed with ingenious weaponry but King Chimera controlled the power of utterly lifelike illusions. So Baron Gestapo wasted time trying to determine which of his opponents were real or not. Only to find none of them were.

King Chimera expertly placed a choke hold on Baron Gestapo and the Nazi scientist and inventor passed out within forty-five seconds. King Chimera let Gestapo drop like a corpse after he passed out. Then he realized the danger they were all in and had to find Maxine Hunkel.

* * *

Shadow of War tried to engulf Cyclone. Cyclone threatened to tear the bilious Shadow of war apart with conflicting tornadoes. Then she relented and Shadow of War retreated with a barely audible whimper.

"Maxine!" King Chimera called to her.

"You seem worried," Cyclone realized despite they're having one their individual battles.

"The tower is coming down, we either need to evacuate it or get clear ourselves," King Chimera pointed out their choices.

"Of course we'll evacuate it," Cyclone thought there wasn't really a choice at all.

"You're too noble for your own good, Maxine," King Chimera groaned.

"Let's go," Cyclone marched him back into danger.

* * *

Jakeem Thunder kept the Thunderbolt battling the Green Ghoul and Count Berlin. Realizing they were facing a vampire and a troll, he ordered the Thunderbolt to create a sun-like orb and shine down upon the Nazis. They both retreated underground and withdrew to safety.

"Heads up, Boss," Thunderbolt pointed at the skyscraper Disco Mummy lived inside of.

Atom Smasher and Sentinel were bracing it but Trump Tower was still collapsing.

"Cei yu! Help `em out!" Jakeem ordered and the Thunderbolt complied.

* * *

Dr. Demon's cybernetic body was as powerful as the slain Cyborg's had been. And Like Dr. Stone, Dr. Demon constantly upgraded herself the way the good doctor had his son's equipment. Which meant the battle between her and Aztek could easily grown to destroy the upper scale neighborhood they fought in. But while they struggled to overwhelm one another, suddenly Dr. Demon lurched and Aztek's power blasts penetrated her collapsed personal force field and knocked her out.

Standing behind her was Jakeem Thunder holder her fusion power cell that had been attached to her back. And Jakeem wore an insufferable smirk.

"I had that," Aztek assured him.

"Uh huh," Jakeem exuded that brand of sarcasm only teenagers were capable of, "Go get that, tough guy."

As Aztek went to assist the All Stars' Trump Tower efforts he though responsibility looked good on Jakeem.

* * *

Mr. Terrific could see steering was not one of Kamikaze's real strengths. As in it didn't exist at all. Kamikaze was primed for one thing: collisions.

So the T-Sphere's teleported him from one end of 5th Avenue into the other as he flew back and forth. Finally his fuel cell was spent and the T-Sphere's converged on him and stunned him. Spotting the new difficulty, Mr. Terrific dispatched all of his T-Spheres save one to the floors of the tower and began teleporting potential victims out.

* * *

Wildcat knew there were only two people that could beat him in one on one unarmed combat. Batman was one and Deathstroke was the other. But Horned Owl _with_ Fledermaus at his side could open up a new category. Horned Owl was another Darkwing and Fledermaus was a younger Nightwing.

Kicking Fledermaus away, it gave Wildcat the opening to knock Horned Owl out with a haymaker. Then a well placed judo chop took Fledermaus out of the picture. Individually they weren't unbeatable but together they were hell on wheels. Something Ted Grant decided to remember in the future.

Wildcat spotted most of Mr. Terrific's T-Sphere's vanishing and then the glass began to rain from Trump Tower. Wildcat got his butt back into gear and joined Mr. Terrific's sprint into danger.

* * *

The Shining Knight was exulted. He'd fought Gudra to a standstill. Of course, it took a Norse demigoddess to do so. Gudra was enraged.

"You'll pay for this indignity, mortal," and she vanished.

Sir Justin felt a need to check on Goldilocks where she effaced the Golden Archer. As much for Usil's sake as Goldilocks'. Having a Ring of Volthoom quail in fear before you had to be indicative of a very dangerous mind.

Goldilocks' tresses had snatched every one of Usil's arrows out of the air each with a strand of hair. Goldilocks taunted Usil, "Are you sure you want to stick with the archery theme. `Cause I thought that implied you could actually hit your target."

"Go to hell," Usil snarled.

"I've been there for most of my formative years. I'm afraid I'll probably end up in the literal translation of the term eventually," Goldilocks shared.

"Well, do it! Kill me!" Usil demanded.

"I'm afraid I'm not that merciful," Goldilocks tried to let him down gently. Then she hit him in the head with a manhole cover, "Nighty night."

"Well done, milady," Sir Justin was proud of her.

Her hair handed him the arrows and Usil's bow and quiver, "He won't need these."

"I must confess I'm fairly useless with them as well," Sir Justin was chagrined.

"Oh well, it seems we have a new crisis anyway," Goldilocks looked up at the fragmenting skyscraper.

"My god," Sir Justin gasped.

"Have you ever wondered if God is tired of taking the blame for everything?" Goldilocks mused.

"What?" Sir Justin was completely baffled.

"Never mind," Goldilocks dismissed the thought, "It's a private conversation anyway."

Sir Justin began to worry.

* * *

Disco Mummy had representatives from the Injustice Society and the Fourth Reich in her penthouse. Disco Mummy saw Breakdown's treachery and ordered a retreat. Gentleman Ghost began dropping through floors. White Dragon fired off flames like a rocket to escape. Rival swept up Disco Mummy and raced her down the stairwell.

Strange Visitor barely saw them, streak by underneath as she ascended the floors. She arrived in time to see Captain Nazi, Captain Murder, and Madame Libertine ferry Hunter, Reichsmark, and Captain Swastika away. But the disintegration wasn't as bad atop the upper floors. Which meant it would break apart _after_ it impacted on the ground.

Strange Visitor went off the balcony to see if she could help in any way to slow the progression down.


	14. Chapter 14

18

Brains had invited the surviving members of the Black 7 to attend as well. As she ferreted Ballard away to safety and anonymity, the Black 7 foursome emerged from that same hiding place. They were unaware that Blaze had told Brains about her bargain with the Black 7 four whereby she and Satanus gave them each powers in exchange for loyalty.

So the four assassins each chose a member of the Movement to deal with. Dragonfly chose Virtue. Dragonfly's own meticulous nature had been enhanced into an ability to focus all of her concentration and attention on a single detail. Coupled with an ability to race, turn, and strike and superhuman speeds, Dragonfly now lived up to her name.

Virtue tried connecting with an emotional hook and she found one that led to Angelica Blaze. But Angelica was a front for Lady Blaze and Virtue found herself confronting the totality of Blaze's demonic nature. Her abject horror and surprise left her open to attack.

Dragonfly struck without mercy or remorse. She was about to kill Virtue but Brains called her off from doing so, "She'll make a potent ally."

"She'll be sure to betray you," Dragonfly warned her.

"Not after Ms. Mesmer has her way with her," Brains corrected Dragonfly.

* * *

Silken Spider had the ability to project spidery webs from her fingertips. They weren't composed by a physical process but rather a magical one. In addition, she possessed a bioelectric "venom" sting.

When Tremor reached for the floor, Silken Spider webbed her hands and then adhered them to the ceiling. Tremor's geokinetic power required physical contact so her gift was neutralized. Then Silken Spider wrapped up Tremor's feet so she couldn't struggle. A taste of Silken Spider's venom blast was the last thing Tremor endured before passing out.

Brains congratulated her, "Ms. Mesmer will be so pleased to have so many minds to toy with."

* * *

Tiger Moth had been gifted a "moth's bite" blast that withered away whatever it struck. Tiger Moth enraged Mouse by killing his rodent friends with it. Then she turned it on him.

Emaciated, Mouse passed out. Brains intervened as Tiger Moth prepared to slay her opponent. Tiger Moth was the only true sociopath amongst the four Black 7 survivors and killed for sport.

* * *

Black Beetle now had the ability to burrow through anything. And his advanced armor possessed weapons of every description. So Black Beetle distracted Burden so that Bulldozer and Kong could commit a one-two combination attack to knock Burden out and return Christopher to his natural form.

Line, Wisp, and Fly brought in Katharsis and Bluebird. Brains frowned, "Strip them of their gear and then secure them in chairs."

"I found a van with New Jersey plates outside our quarantine zone. It was empty except equipment to guide surveillance drones and an unoccupied wheelchair," Fly reported.

"So the crippled hacker got away," Ms. Mesmer commented, "We can use her friends to draw her back in."

"The sooner the better," Brains cautioned them all, "Vengeance Moth may begin recruiting the limited number of quieter meta-humans that also call Coral City home."

"We'll be prepared if she does," Kong promised.

* * *

"Ven, can hear me?" a strangely familiar voice floated amongst the fog in Vengeance Moth's head. Warm fingers caressed her cheek and the voice spoke again, "I think she's coming around."

Ven blearily rose out of the muddle and opened her eyes to see a blurry Sarah Rainmaker watching over her from seat beside Vengeance Moth's own bed.

"Here, these'll help," Rainmaker gave Ven her glasses, freshly cleaned.

"How did I get back to the Sweatshop?" Ven asked.

"You don't remember?" Rainmaker wondered.

"No, I…I remember…Holly. Holly and the others were under attack. I left the van somehow and…" Vengeance Moth's voice trailed off.

"The kids here reported you flew here under your own power and then passed out. That was over four hours ago. They came to get me while we waited for you to wake up," rainmaker informed her, "Your friend, Bluebird, left the surveillance drones online so we've been able to watch the area."

" _We_?" Ven asked.

"Your people looked to me for help and I gathered some friends that came here from NOWHERE like I did," Rainmaker explained, "And we managed to procure you a replacement wheelchair."

"I won't ask how," Ven promised.

"No one will miss it," Rainmaker promised.

"These your friends?" Ven carefully positioned the wheelchair and got into. She still felt like crud but her own friends were in unknown danger so she couldn't crawl away and sleep for a couple of months like she wanted to.

"These are them," Rainmaker said proudly.

One was a redheaded Caucasian that looked angry and burned out on life. Another was a stout Eurasian that looked like a fireplug crossbred with a sumo wrestler. The youngest was a girl with pink highlights framing her face. And she was a smoker, an addiction Ven knew intimately.

"Meet Burnout, Grunge, and Freefall. When NOWHERE devolved into chaos and Lynch began terminating subjects, we managed to escape together and make our way out of the Arctic and arrive here. The Tweens seemed about as abandoned as the Arctic so we thought we could just disappear," Rainmaker explained.

"Starting a cult around yourself is hardly _disappearing_ , Sarah," Vengeance Moth scolded Rainmaker.

"Others joined the Teen Titans and there are those that have successfully disappeared," rainmaker remarked, "Somehow I think we're going to have a high profile after today."

"I'm sorry," Ven shared.

"Holly's worth it," Rainmaker commented, "And these three idiots think I'm worth it."

"I can remotely pilot the drones in closer but I need to access to my network," Ven shared.

"You'll probably need help wheeling over there too," Rainmaker surmised.

"Yeah, much as I hate to admit it," Vengeance Moth grimaced.

"Grunge, put your lazy ass to work and get my friend to the computers," rainmaker ordered.

Grunge brightened and Freefall scowled. Ven suddenly knew which way those winds blew.

* * *

Flash and Mr. Terrific were the mechanism by which residents were evacuated out of Trump Tower. Atom Smasher, Sentinel, and Praxis held the structure together as best they could to extend the time to evacuate everyone. Supergirl and Strange Visitor dealt with the debris falling from structure as those on the lower levels fled on foot.

Finally, the All Stars and Conglomerates had to let things happen naturally. Jurgens reported in to apprise the groups of what was going on in the larger world, "Trump is screaming at the mayor who in turn is screaming at Commissioner Sawyer. The Commissioner is spitting red hot nails over this."

Everyone remembered Maggie Sawyers' tenure as GCPD Commissioner which stood in stark contrast to her service as Captain of Metropolis' SCU. Jurgens continued, "Elements of these Fourth Reich extremists are holed up in a union meeting hall. Disco Mummy seems to be with them. We have reports regarding the Injustice Society stemming from all over the Five Burroughs and the Valkyrie and her goons disappeared alongside those anarchists that leveled the UN."

"You'd all be sitting jail right now on trumped up charges but Claire Montgomery has your corporate sponsors leaning even harder on the mayor than Trump," Jurgens revealed, "The NYPD's intelligence unit lost six officers probing into the Breakers as they're called and their ideological allies. Best guess is they headed for Gotham where they'll feel safer."

"Time ta call the Bat," Wildcat urged.

"Anarchism can seem attractive," Sentinel admitted, "The state fo New York declared martial law in response to anarchist activities. The US Supreme Court took the state to task and now the Federal government has to concede there's no other way and authorize such a move."

"And today's divisive climate doesn't help," Jurgens admitted, "There are people all over NYC cheering for what just happened."

"France lost their first republic to anarchy and they got Napoleon because of it," Mr. Terrific pointed out.

"We're likelier to get General Sam Lane," Sand opined.

"And everyone has the same aims just different methods," Flash shared.

"And we guarantee their right to espouse their views as long as they don't threaten the public safety by doing so," Jurgens added.

"Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished liberties," Sentinel pointed out.

Jurgens' radio squawked, "Excuse me."

He returned with a very angry expression on his face, "The meta-human transports headed for Stryker's Island were hijacked by the Injustice League. And everyone is now gathered at the union hall."

"I'll alert Vapor that we're still on the job and still need her help," Mr. Terrific decided.

"Wildcat, Flash, and I will go to Gotham to lend a hand," Sentinel offered.

"Harvey Bullock is running things for the political appointee in charge. I'll call him so he can clear a path for you. But remember, you can recon but the GCPD has to make the arrest," Jurgens advised them.

"What about the Bat?" Wildcat wanted to know.

"They dismantled the signal but rumor has it Amanda Waller and ARGUS maintain a way to contact Batman," Jurgens divulged.

"Then we'll head to Brooklyn first," Flash stated.

"I'll warn the JLA," Jurgens volunteered.

* * *

Grunge appropriated a van the same way he'd acquired a new wheelchair. Both would eventually be returned just a little worse for the wear. Vengeance Moth looked at the entrance to the passenger van and gulped.

"Um…not to be rude or anything…" Ven trailed off.

And then she found herself floating above her wheelchair. Freefall was gloating, "No worries, Chickadee."

Burnout maneuvered Ven into the front passenger seat and Freefall let her down surprisingly easy considering the woman's jealousy issues. Ven strapped and rummaged through her backpack.

"Fruit snack, anyone?" Vengeance Moth cheerfully offered.

Burnout folded the wheelchair and accepted Ven's offer, "Sure. Yo Grunge! She's handing out food."

"Gimme!" Grunge called from the rear seat he shared with Freefall.

"Is this code speak?" Freefall asked nastily.

"It's a literal fruit snack," Rainmaker was losing patience from the driver's seat, "You buy them in a grocery store."

"Does your brain ever revolve around anything normally?" Burnout was disgusted.

"Hey! She's the one handing out so-called 'fruit snacks'," Freefall accused.

"God, you're pathetic," Burnout snapped, "No wonder you have to bring home drunken dregs to get laid."

Burnout sat on the seat beside Ven's wheelchair. Freefall glared at him until Grunge nudged her. Then she looked like she hungrily wanted to go down on him in the back of the van witnesses be damned.

"Um…yeah," Vengeance Moth watched the transformation.

"You see what we have to deal with," Rainmaker sighed, "Show me where Harper Row's van is."

Ven began giving directions, "And Captain Meers is ordering the police to conduct a sweep of the Tweens around Intergang's location."

"Can we trust him?" Rainmaker asked.

"Holly does and I trust Holly," Ven stated.

"Me too," Rainmaker promised.

* * *

"The cops are coming at us down four main boulevards," the Intergang chief of security reported to Brains, "They have enough manpower to blow through our barricades."

"Fall back to this location and play the lawyer," Brains commanded, "Buy us time to escape and then our relay lawyers will liberate you in turn."

"Mum," the man turned and began issuing orders through a handset radio.

"We'll be leaving as well," Dragonfly informed Brains, "This repaid our debt for turning us towards Morgan Edge and Angelica Blaze. Don't summon us again because Black 7 will not respond."

"You need to do some recruiting or change your name to the 'Fab Four'," Brains snickered.

"You're nowhere near as funny as you believe yourself to be, Brains," Dragonfly sneered.

Black 7 had a helicopter waiting for them on a nearby roof. It could be heard departing. Brains turned to Ms. Mesmer.

"Ms. Mesmer, a word please," Brains began, "The CCPD is highly unremarkable but they will penetrate our defenses. How much time do you require to break our guests?"

"Virtue, Katharsis, and Gordon are the real challenges. Tremor is an unknown variable as is Bluebird. It may take minutes or days. Possibly even weeks before I can break and remold them in a way to make them utterly reliable," Ms. Mesmer complained.

"You don't have the time," Brains shared, "What can you do down and dirty?"

"I can make them psychotic," Ms. Mesmer shrugged, "But they'll be totally unmanageable."

"Be ready in case we need you to," Brains decided.

* * *

Freefall got Vengeance Moth back into Harper's van. Burnout helped settle her in her own wheelchair. Rainmaker watched as Ven fired up the drones and remotely reactivated them.

"I've got eyes," Vengeance Moth announced.

"How is Intergang responding to the police?" Rainmaker asked.

"They've all fallen back to the warehouse and are forming a cordon around it. My guess is they're lawyering up," Ven ventured, "You can break into Tremor's tunnel that will lead you into the building two blocks from here."

"Any visuals from inside?" Rainmaker fretted.

"No, I'm sorry," Ven meant it.

"They're the ones that'll be sorry," Rainmaker promised.

* * *

At the abandoned New York Trade Union Hall, the JSA All Stars and Conglomerate descended in force to arrest everyone associated with and working for Disco Mummy. Mr. Terrific and Vapor had split their teams up and sent them from every direction. Upon arrival it seemed the opposition was now narrowed down to the Fourth Reich and Axis Amerika. Everyone was sick and tired of Nazis.

Baron Blitzkrieg felt old and tired as he found himself confronting Praxis. Praxis' mental probes assaulted the Baron. But Blitzkrieg's own powers stemmed from his mind so he'd been taught advanced psionic shielding. But Praxis' powers had been bestowed upon him by a serial killer he'd tracked down and killed. So when he used his powers, he touched a latent image of that killer. Which the Baron would soon regret.

* * *

"So they send a _fraulein_ after me," Captain Nazi laughed.

"I don't suppose you'll let me just punch you once because I'm so weak and helpless and you're a big strong man?" Supergirl asked.

" _Ja_ ," Captain Nazi chuckled, "Why not?"

Supergirl knocked him out with a single right cross, "Thanks."

* * *

"Why are you…blue?" Madame Libertine asked Strange Visitor.

"Because I'm a strange visitor from another planet," she jested.

"Really?" Madame Libertine asked.

"Of course not," Strange Visitor harrumphed.

"I am the wave of the future, not you," Madame Libertine boasted, "Perhaps I'll let you serve me."

"Boring," Strange Visitor retorted.

Madame Libertine flew straight at Strange Visitor. Sharon used enough power to light up the eastern seaboard if she'd been plugged into the electrical grid. But she did knock Madame Libertine out without even a whimper.

"And finally, she shuts up," Strange Visitor congratulated herself.

* * *

Red Tornado sucked Baroness Blitzkrieg up in a tornado he sued to create a vacuum around her and she passed out from lack of oxygen. Reddy carefully laid her out on the ground and stood guard over her until the NYPD could send officers in to apprehend her.

* * *

New York had faced the specter and terror of war within living memory so the Shadow of War fed off of these memories and incited feelings of hatred and panic. Anna and Atom Smasher dealt with the effects. Jakeem Thunder directed his Thunderbolt against the cause.

Shadow of War never saw the hex bolt coming at him and banishing him to Limbo. And once there, Surtur delighted in tormenting Shadow of War by ingesting him and letting the spirit rot within his own fecund innards.

* * *

Green Ghoul saw Hawk and Dove facing him together and he broke and ran. They followed him into Central Park where he vanished beneath a foot bridge. Dove let Hawk down easy.

"He went back to his home dimension," she told him, "I don't think we'll see him again anytime soon."

"An' I just wanted ta bust his head again," Hawk pouted.

"Let's go back to union hall and see what's happening there," Dove offered.

"Yeah" Hawk eagerly agreed.

* * *

Captain Murder's feverish brain devised dozens of ways of kill Maxi-Man before the fight even began. And then she rapidly revised them because he easily held his own against her. But the bodiless shadow circling them was either real or another of her phantasms.

Gypsy wrapped her head scarf around Captain Murder's throat and began to choke her. Every time Captain Murder tried to protect herself, Maxi-Man proceeded to pummel her. So Captain Murder found she still needed air to function. Something to keep in mind on a future note.

* * *

Dr. Light deduced White Dragon's suit was more for his protection than others'. So while Rising Sun distracted him, she fired laser beams to carve away portions of his suit. White Dragon fled screaming as his body burned in an uncontrolled reaction to the oxygen flooding across him.

* * *

"If you fight him alone, you'll get all grunty and sweaty. Two things I like to do _with_ you not watch as a spectator," Goldilocks warned Sir Justin of his intentions to fight Hunter alone.

Her hair snared Hunter's ankles and lifted him upside down in the air. He tired of hacking away futilely at her hair and challenged the Shining Knight to a duel. Sir Justin half heartedly fought him until Hunter tired and a strike from a sword pommel put him out.

"Wasn't that easier?" Goldilocks asked expectantly.

"Aye, but it felt scurrilous somehow," Sir Justin complained.

"Men!" Goldilocks grated.

* * *

Dove had explained that Count Berlin was a former vampire. So Starman brought the full intensity of an earthbound sun onto Count Berlin. And after nearly incinerating him, he clubbed him into unconsciousness with his staff.

* * *

Metamorpho had reported into the All Stars only to announce his transfer to the Conglomerate as Stagg Industries' representative on the team. Since Simon Stagg was his father-in-law and had financed and equipped his recent recovery, Metamorpho felt obligated to comply with Stagg's wishes.

So Metamorpho's first case with the Conglomerate was dealing with the seemingly cartoonish Captain Swastika. A crossbreeding between the Question and Sonar, minus a tuning fork gun. And the featureless mask with a swastika emblazoned where a face would go was really over the top in Metamorpho's opinion.

So Metamorpho simply became sleeping gas and put the dolt out of everyone's misery.

* * *

Dr. Demon, as a cyborg, couldn't even see Mr. Terrific who was invisible to machines and electronic surveillance. But she could see his T-Spheres. And she kept blasting them until he teleported her to the Arctic. Where she blasted that T-Sphere and he had no means of retrieving her.

* * *

Judomaster paralyzed Reichsmark with expertly placed nerve junction strikes. Commander Steel wrapped Reichsmark's wrists in the chain padlock that held the union hall's doors shut and then knocked him out with his fist. Commander Steel and Judomaster were the first to enter the hall.

* * *

Baron Gestapo depleted his weapons cache until he finally deduced King Chimera was simply casting illusions all around him. And then Cyclone struck until he begged for mercy. Baron Gestapo was never so happy to puke in all his life. At least he was still alive to do so.

* * *

Gudra had returned Axis Amerika to Disco Mummy's service in an effort to abate Luthor's ire. She found herself facing Vapor in combat. Gudra had served Hitler in the war and when she'd been summoned by Felix Faust she'd assumed she was brought forth on Midgard once more at Hitler's behest.

But despite seeing all manner of strange things across the Nine Realms, she'd never seen a woman transform herself into an acidic mist before. Particularly a mist that ate away at her armor and raiment's, leaving her stark naked. Gudra retreated in shame back to Valhalla vowing vengeance upon all mortals.

* * *

Nightwing came with the Little Mermaid when she rejoined the Conglomerate. He merely downplayed his desires to see her safely home again. And he utterly refused official acknowledgement with the team's corporate sponsors.

So they were paired up against Horned Owl and Fledermaus. The feeling of déjà vu nearly overwhelmed Dick but Ulla handily captured Fledermaus in seconds. And Nightwing could see Horned Owl preparing an all out assault against Dick's fiancé. So he stepped in.

Batman had prepared Nightwing for attacks for all manner of foes. What he didn't expect was the quality of Horned Owl's training and obsession. But Horned Owl was still no Batman. So Nightwing battled him to a standstill and Ulla took him out with a single punch.

"Sorry. I was bored," Ulla apologized.

"It was almost over but I'm more than happy to get the reprieve. What did you do with the kid?" Nightwing asked.

"Over there," she nodded.

Fledermaus had a post office letter drop box wrapped around him. Nightwing laughed, "The Post Office will probably complain but I think it's brilliant."

"That's just because you love me," Ulla demurred.

"Which means I'm brilliant too," Nightwing admitted.

* * *

Kamikaze flew headlong into a building before Lightning zapped him, "Well, that's done."

"Not quite," Aztek looked embarrassed, "Would you like to go out for dinner in a few days when this is all done for real?"

"Took you long enough," Lightning grinned, "And that's a 'yes' by the way."

* * *

Usil fired arrow after arrow into Sand but Sandy Hawkins refused to die. Eventually he ran out of arrows. Sand cheerfully pulled a few free and handed them towards Usil, "Need a couple more?"

He turned into literal sand and all the arrows fell free, "Or maybe not?"

Usil began to panic and Sand gas gunned him, "Night-night."

* * *

Baron Blitzkrieg fled before Praxis as he transformed into a crazed psychokinetic madman. Supergirl had to knock him out, "That can't be good."

* * *

The Injustice Society delivered Disco Mummy to Saturn Queen at Fort Siegel. Saturn Queen welcomed them all to her underground lair, "I'd like to propose alliances with you both. I feel together we can achieve our mutual goal."

"Which is?" Disco Mummy asked.

"The removal of Lex Luthor," Saturn Queen wore a cunning smile.

* * *

Sentinel, Flash, and Wildcat each used their abilities to try and ferret out the Breakers. But the GCPD was tipped off to their arrival. Bullock hated to dismiss them but he gave them the option of leaving town or spending the night in lockup. Bullock cursed Maggie Sawyers' name as the JSA Founders returned to Manhattan. A circumstance that amused Batman hidden away nearby.

* * *

Using her borrowed UAVs, Ven guided Rainmaker's group around the police advance to an opening that would lead them into Tremor's approach tunnel. But once they were inside, Vengeance Moth lost all contact with them. But with dozens of men and women guarding the outer gates and doors, two inside guarding the tunnel entrance seemed inconsequential.

Freefall rapidly ascended them into the roof and then dropped them to the concrete below. They'd live but be in traction for months. Grunge absorbed the qualities of the concrete flooring and prepared for the fight to come. Burnout suddenly transformed into a plasma field version of himself not unlike Cinder.

Grunge added steel from a nearby door to his mix while Rainmaker imperiously strode into the center of the warehouse to confront the Gang and the Intergang specialist enforcers. Brains had gotten what she wanted out of Numbers and had him killed.

Rainmaker saw the Movement was all sitting in metal folding chairs. Virtue and Tremor looked anguished while Mouse and Burden seemed complacent. Bluebird was beginning to stir and a yellow clad woman with a mask and a spinning "G" symbol on her shirt focused her attentions on Barbara and Katharsis.

Brains seemed delighted to see Rainmaker, "Ah! The girlfriend."

* * *

Vengeance Moth had pulled up everything she could on the Gang. They were easily identified by the "G" marker on their uniforms. And everyone except Brains wore a mask. Apparently she was the only one brazen enough to risk indentifying herself.

Given how Brains was directing everyone it was obvious she was considered the leader of the group and possibly Intergang at this point, "Wisp, take Fly and Line and secure the perimeter. King and Bulldozer, the prisoners are yours to defend."

Freefall bounced Fly off the ceiling and then plummeted him to the floor. Burnout flew high and burned a trail to Wisp where he volleyed plasma streams at the gas man. Grunge shattered Line's jaw with a punch.

Bulldozer plowed Grunge into a wall. Grunge was outraged, "Giddoffame!"

Grunge used a judo move to flip Bulldozer end over end. Kong traded places with Bulldozer. Rainmaker began a storm within the warehouse to hamper the Gang and their minions and to awaken the Movement.

"You really are the Rainmaker," Brains was delighted by the possibilities.

"Free Virtue and her friends," Rainmaker delivered her ultimatum.

"Or?" Brains was intrigued.

"Or I drown you all inside this building," Rainmaker promised.

"I don't think so," Brains scoffed, "What about your lady love?"

"Better to die free than your slave," Brains could tell Rainmaker meant it.

"Boys," Brains called out.

Burden and Mouse joined her side. Burnout landed near Ms. Mesmer, "Back the hell up."

"I don't think so," Ms. Mesmer echoed Brains' sentiment, "Just keep staring at my boobs and the little symbol between them."

And she had Burnout.

* * *

Rainmaker brought torrential rains down upon Brains, Mouse, and Burden. The winds buffeted them and blew the nearby Ms. Mesmer off of her feet. Burden staggered as well. Which suited Rainmaker's purposes as she drew closer to Virtue.

Grunge was holding his own against Kong and Bulldozer. He'd studied Judo because his father preferred it over Greco-Roman wrestling. And now it was saving his life combined with his power to absorb the nature of objects he touched. So his concrete-steel blend made it harder for the Gang to really hurt him.

Freefall intervened against Burnout to defend Rainmaker. Twisting gravity all around her usual teammate, she lured Burnout towards where Grunge fought the Gang. Burnout unleashed his wrath…on Bulldozer and Kong.

* * *

Then the Mighty Crusaders, an ARGUS Legacy team, entered the fray against Line, Fly, and Wisp. The original Mighty Crusaders had fought in World War II and afterwards on behalf of the FBI's IMPACT program. Their children had also served as covert agents for law and order. And their children had followed in their predestined footsteps. But the great-grandchildren wanted the excitement of masks and costumes. So the Mighty Crusaders had been reborn.

The Shield, the Fox, and the Black Hood challenged Line and Wisp. Corporal Joe Higgins had been serving in Afghanistan when he'd been mortally wounded. Injected with prototype LexCorp nanites, Joe became a "super soldier" worthy of his great-grandfather, the Shield of old. So he was given the bulletproof uniform and trained even more extensively by ARGUS and become the first of the Mighty Crusaders to join the team.

Paul Patton had been a photojournalist he put on the old Fox uniform to drum up sales of "superhero in action" photos. Then the Shield had contacted him and talked him into following his great-grandfather's legacy. His animalistic senses, strengths, speed, and agility literally made him a human Fox.

The Black Hood had been passed own from individuals chosen through the Middle Ages down through modern eras. Nate Cray was the latest to bear the Black Hood. It made him an expert in every form of weapon and driven to eradicate evil in every form. And it gave him a superhuman tolerance for pain.

* * *

Wisp tried to gas Shield but the toxic substance had no effect. Wisp was knocked unconscious after a mere series of two blows. Then Shield confiscated the Wisp's gas canisters.

Line tried snaring Fox but the Fox cleanly outmaneuvered him every time. Then Black Hood revealed himself by placing a sawed off shotgun under Line's jaw and cocking it.

"I wif oop awready!" Line cried through his broken jaw.

Black Hood clubbed him over the head with the shotgun. Then the trio bound and gagged their prisoners and watched the conclusion of the battle of the Fly and Fly Girl versus Intergang's Fly.

* * *

Thomas Troy had recreated his Great-grandsire's formula to biologically transform into a winged avenger with the proportion speed and strength of a fly besides being able to share the visual perceptions of a fly. So he adopted the long abandoned guise of the Fly.

Then he injected his lab partner, Kim Brand as well. ARGUS expected a return on their funding so Fly Girl joined the Fly in action. But she hated the name.

Then they'd learned about Intergang's mechanical Fly Man. And they unleashed all of their ire and frustration on him. The fight lasted seconds rather than minutes.

* * *

Shield joined Rainmaker and Freefall's battle with Brains, Ms. Mesmer, Mouse, and Burden. Freefall was levitating the two half drowned Movement members. Ms. Mesmer twirled her emblem again and the Gang vanished. Shield was just as astonished as the others as he checked his watch.

"It's been three minutes," Shield hated to share, "Plenty of time for them to escape in."

"Help us wake everyone up," Rainmaker ordered, "Burnout is yours."

"Fiery guy?" Shield asked.

"Fiery guy," Freefall winked.

"Great," Shield grumbled.

* * *

Grunge temporarily disabled Kong and Bulldozer then he confronted Fox and Black Hood. A seeming flash interrupted everyone and suddenly Kong and Bulldozer were both gone and Grunge felt a homicidal rage towards Fox and Black Hood. Black Hood aimed his semiautomatic weapons at Grunge's face while Fox leapt onto Grunge's shoulders and tried twisting his head off.

"Waitaminute!" Grunge snapped his fingers, "You're not the guys trying to kill me."

"Give it five seconds and we might be so inclined," Black Hood retorted, "Fox! Get off of him."

"I guess I'm happy to meet you," Grunge admitted, "I still feel so conflicted about it."

"You twitch wrong and I shoot you," Black Hood offered, "Deal?"

"Um…sure?" Grunge wasn't really uncertain if he were glad to meet the Mighty Crusaders now.

* * *

Fly and Fly Girl were trying to wake Barbara, Katharsis, and Bluebird up. Fly noticed, "They're fighting it. We just need to help."

"How?" Fly Girl asked drolly. Virology and genetics were her forte not hypnosis.

"The hypnotic spell seems to have been triggered through the visual cortex," Fly deduced as he fished out a pen light and began blinking it in Barbara's eyes until she came to, "Morse code for SOS does it."

Fly Girl tried to remember basic Morse from her Girl Scout days. She woke Bluebird up while Fly dealt with Katharsis. Then they moved on to assist with Tremor, Mouse, Burden, and Burnout. Rainmaker woke Virtue with a kiss.

* * *

Katharsis led the Movement back through the tunnels where Tremor waited for Virtue to follow. Rainmaker and her crew down the tunnel. The Mighty Crusaders stayed with Barbara as Captain Meers and his officers forced their way into the warehouse. The Mighty Crusaders' ARGUS credentials went a long way toward mollifying the cops. But Barb was taken into custody to be extradited back to Gotham. She didn't even hint at resisting.

* * *

Bluebird reclaimed her van and drove Vengeance Moth back to the Sweatshop. Once reassembled Rainmaker introduced Gen13 to the Movement. Virtue was delighted to see Sarah had friends.

"You never cease to amaze," Holly shared.

"Spend the night sometime and I'll show you amazing," Sarah offered.

"Tonight's good," Tremor prodded Holly.

"Thanks Roshanna, I can take a hint," Virtue mock grumbled.

"You've never been able to before," Ven riposted.

"I feel the love…despite your cruel words," Holly moved off to pack an overnight bag.

"I need to head out too," Bluebird admitted, "I doubt my supervisor will buy a second day of supposed food poisoning."

"Thanks so much," Vengeance Moth handed her a box of fruit snacks, "For the road."

* * *

"Katharsis, what a surprise," Harper stated as she exited her van, divested of her Bluebird gear.

"Tell Gordon to look into Knightfall's dealings," Katharsis told her, "The Gang was one of her clients. She can lead you to them."

"I didn't know you cared," Harper stated.

"I shouldn't but Gordon's an honest cop even if she's a prig," Katharsis went back underground leaving Harper Row to her thoughts.


	15. Chapter 15

14

The Suicide Squad found themselves recalled back to Belle Reeve to stand as the final defense between intruders and the newly incarcerated Teen Titans. John Lynch had parlayed his association with Lord Daemonite into manipulating ARGUS to recreate NOWHERE and coerce the finest minds and the cruelest handlers into staffing it. He'd wanted Caitlin Fairchild's research into suppressing the gen factor. Coupled with his investigations into activating meta-genes Lynch would have held the power to create and destroy human gods.

The JSA Founders found an indifferent response when they arrived. Maven promised to pass their request on to Waller but reminded them Batman was ever his own man. He'd only respond if it suited him to.

Waller didn't alert Flagg but the Teen Titans had abandoned trying to convince Deathstroke to divert from his primary mission. They decided to approach J'onn and persuade the JLU to liberate the Teen Titans. The JLA also stood down because the President, present and accounted for, forbade any further action that could initiate hostilities with the Daemonites. The mass consensus in the room was to kill him and be done with it. Waller prevailed in defending him.

Eventually, the President ordered the JLA to support Task Force X's mission to defend Belle Reeve. Penny returned to the Invisible Jet as though reuniting with a lost child. Hula Hula also took to the Operations Center beside Sue like a duck to water. Plastic Man was the only one even slightly ambivalent.

* * *

Talia al Ghul's alliance with Lord Daemonite suddenly made the war very personal for the Injusticers. Ra's, inside Talia's body, mocked Nyssa and dared her to confront him. Jenny Quantum delivered all the forces united against the Daemonites to the Nevada Badlands. Projectionist stayed with her on the Moon base along with Jack Hawksmoor. Jack served as their protective detail despite his powers and life force dwindling the longer he was kept from an urban landscape.

The groups split into three major teams. Team One was led by Deathstroke and would engage the Daemonites directly. Team Two was composed of the WildCATS and Stormwatch agents. Team Three was comprised of the Injusticers.

Void transported Team Two to the rear of the butte containing the Daemonite ancestral ship. Apollo's Kryptonian-level strength and solar discharge abilities got them past the first sentries and into the citadel. Meanwhile, Team One attacked the front gates and Team Three stood by.

* * *

Mary Batson and Courtney Whitmore picked up Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman at the Fawcett City International Airport. Everyone was perfunctorily polite until they reached Uncle Dudley's home where Billy and Freddy lived. Mary had too before she moved in at the K-Star Ranch. Uncle Dudley was the janitor at Tawky Tawny's day care center so he was at work when they arrived. And that's when everything exploded.

"Billy, you chose to surrender your Marvel powers when the 'gods' revealed to you their true natures. So quit whining about it," Mary came close to shouting.

"Giving everything up was a hard choice but knowing you didn't is even harder," Billy almost shouted right back.

"How long do you give it?" Freddy Freeman asked from across the room as he leaned on his crutches, "I say five minutes."

"No way, dude," Courtney leaned on her staff-like Cosmic Rod, "You're looking at closer to ten here."

"Christopher was almost ten years older than me so he won every argument in short order," Freddy spoke about Kid Eternity.

"He's still kinda alive," Courtney reminded him, "Where there's life there's arguing."

"I really don't know what the Lords of Order did to him to know if he's still that free-willed," Freddy complained.

"They may be loud but this is informative. Mary's been all kinds of quiet since getting back from Kahndaq," Courtney stated.

"What do you think about all of it?" Freddy asked.

"Demons as gods and gods as demons?" Courtney clarified, "I don't know but I trust Mary really was there and learned what she learned."

"Me too," Freddy opined, "And I know Mary's addicted to the power. Makes me wonder who she'd beg or serve to keep it."

Courtney shivered because she felt it too.

* * *

Deathstroke and his forces had the least enviable role to play. The Daemonites had phase shifted their stars cruiser into a butte buttressed next to another rock outcropping. A narrow canyon stretched between the two formations. The WildCATS and Stormwatch had teleported to the end of the canyon where Kherabim legend had it a second entrance into the citadel existed.

Deathstroke had one singular role to play. His purpose was to draw out the best and the brightest Daemonites and kill them wholesale. To weaken the Daemonite resolve in unconditionally backing Lord Daemonite so as to draw him out and kill the hub the rest of the Daemonites revolved around. With Lord Daemonite's death, his people would descend into madness and be easy prey.

Grifter was unaware but Deathstroke and Zealot had conspired. No loss was too great in achieving their goal. Both were even willing to sacrifice their daughters for a chance to kill Lord Daemonite.

Angelica joined Grifter's force which was comprised of Sonia Cordon, Red Robin, Ravager, and Voodoo in attacking the right flank. Regulus led Cheshire, Arsenal, Gunslinger, Cinder and Tattooed Man in attacking the left flank. Majestic led Deathstroke and Zealot as the spear point of their phalanx. The motif was to be indiscriminate slaughter.

Originally Red Robin had been a problematic element in Slade's mind. She hadn't embraced the need to utterly destroy the Daemonites and their hosts. But having encountered them, she saw their ability and their wanton desire to destroy all human life. So Red Robin was now a true believer in Deathstroke's cause.

* * *

John Lynch rallied a defensive perimeter around the scientific sections of the Daemonite citadel before absconding to the Arctic NOWHERE base. Lynch had been brought on as an advisor of why Daemonites couldn't inhabit bodies with a latent gen factor. And how to either extend the life of the hosts or modify the Daemonite genome in order to make them more oxygen tolerant.

Beside the meta-gene carriers, the average human body seemed to be verging on an evolutionary response to reject Daemonite neural parasites. The aliens' own researches into modifying humans in order to protract their lives and render them increasingly vulnerable to possession resulted in hundreds of dead subjects and one living, if wrathful, survivor code-named Voodoo.

Lynch had been amused to see that Lord Emp was leading a force of half-Kherabim hybrids into the citadel. Kherabim survivors had proven to be more genetically flexible in the arena of crossbreeding. But the results of such unions result in sterility. So the genetic material of the dam or sire was still lost just as the entire original landing party, except for Emp and Zealot also died in combat through the years.

Zealot herself had proven interesting. Not only was she the finest Kherabim warrior of any generation on Earth, she'd produced a pureblood daughter despite her vows of Coda virginity. And that daughter had recently been reconciled to the truth of her origins, if not to her mother herself. And Kenesha was among those attacking the citadel.

Before Lynch departed, he saw most of the Team 7 survivors were there…probably for his head. Deathblow was among for similar reasons. Deathblow hadn't asked to be made immortal and the process as well as the aftereffects made him crave his own death. But knowing the mercenaries sensibilities, he'd probably hidden his true motives behind economic reasoning.

Red Fury was mystery to Lynch but he recognized "he" wasn't what he purported to be. Red Fury's vaunted reputation aside, he wasn't asexual but neither was he male. Lynch wondered if he shared in Deathstroke, Ravager, and Angelica's regenerative capabilities.

Lynch found it a pity Angelica's beauty had been scarred before her regenerative ability factored into play and that it didn't cure her disfigurement. Lynch had made her stand out in a field where anonymity was vital for survival. But she hardly had any problem with surviving these days.

Lynch finally retreated and upon arrival at NOWHERE, he used his own psychokinetic gen factor to eliminate all the Daemonites and their hosts. He didn't want to see reptiles in a terrarium after that.

* * *

Warblade transmuted his organic body into living steel and extended his fingers out as blades. Maul increased his size strength and ripped his way through corridors smashing everyone and everything that proved to be an obstacle. TAO manipulated quantum energies akin to Captain Atom and blasted away at his corridor. The three WildCATS each travelled separate corridors to divide up the Daemonite defenders.

Void protected Lord Emp by redirecting weapons fire back at the originators. But Emp was an old man even by Kherabim standards. He'd been a senior member of the original landing and time away from his native Khera hadn't allowed him to age gracefully whereas the younger Kherabim like Zealot readily adapted to their unexpected home.

Deathblow and Red Fury worked together in a synchronized dance of destruction as they fought their way through yet another corridor. Apollo was indeed a god among men. No Daemonite or weapon could resist him. His husband, Midnighter, took care of anyone Apollo missed and prepared to take the forefront as Apollo depleted his solar energy reserves.

Kenesha was the odd girl out. Unlike her infamous mother, raised as her sister, Kenesha wasn't a warrior in any definition of the term. But, science and history were her thing. And she recognized that with Lynch's assistance, the Daemonite shad converted the fortress into a gigantic genetic resequencer. Which meant Lynch had found, or was on the verge of discovering, and means to cure the Daemonites of their intolerance of high oxygen environments. And given the fact Daemonites bred like vermin, humanity would only have two decades after the process was completed.

* * *

The Projectionist pinpointed the location for Jenny Quantum to send the Injusticers. Unlike the rest of the teams, the Injusticers were placed inside the Daemonite citadel. Within the boundaries of the power plant to be precise. Or at least, that's where the Injustice Titans travelled to.

"Make it look good," Enigma urged Persuader.

"Hell, they'll be lucky if there's a single survivor," Persuader promised as she began to swing her Atomic Axe. Daemonites hosts, and then actual bodies, fell as they resisted or materialized. Enigma used her question marked cane to deliver lethal jolts of electricity. And they succeeded in pulling the sentries off of the reactor to them.

Sun Girl and Inertia carved through the engineering support. Inspecting the reactor, the 31st Century teens laughed as Sun Girl announced, "This'll be so easy. It sometime spays to come from a family of fusion engineers."

"I'll watch your back," Inertia promised.

"Don't forget to watch my ass too, babe," Sun Girl laughed again as she went to work.

Match used his own natural strength and tactile telekinesis to wrap up Daemonites with girders and wall plating. Then he ground up the emerging Daemonites with deck plating redone as a blender blade arrangement.

Dreadbolt shorted out equipment banks while Disruptor's gauntlets killed host bodies and then she found it even easier to destroy the neural energy versions of Daemonites than if they'd solidified. Dreadbolt saw Inertia was getting overwhelmed, "Get them off of Sun Girl. She's the key to this all."

Disruptor's homicidal glee only grew as she slaughtered her way there to join Inertia's side. Disruptor saw Dreadbolt was with her inflicting carnage and not with TNTeena. It made her panties wet.

Windfall kept reinforcements from getting in the primary access way. The winds sheared flesh from bones, whether human or Daemonite. TNTeena charged up the secondary access point and blew it in on top of reinforcements.

"Got it!" Sun Girl happily announced as the reactor shut down. Backup generators came online in seconds.

"Match, turn that reactor into scrap," Enigma ordered.

In seconds the reactor was warped beyond repair. Enigma called Windfall off her post, "Persuader, take point. Dreadbolt and Disruptor, you have her back. Sun Girl and Inertia, take the rear. Everyone else space out so they can't ambush us all at once."

And the Injustice Titans were mobile.

* * *

The Injustice Rogues were inserted into the citadel's command complex. Blacksmith saw an opportunity to rid herself of her rivals. But the firing control network had to be eliminated first…and might serve her purpose.

Vandal Savage's Brazilian daughter knew Blacksmith's intentions when she assigned Scandal and Knockout to destroying the weapons hub. But both Scandal and Knockout played out their role with reckless abandon. Knockout was a New God who enjoyed sexual conquests with both genders. Scandal was the first that Knockout had committed to. So Scandal was quite pleased that even if she died, Kay would rip Blacksmith from limb to limb.

Scandal's obsessive goal of first proving herself to her father and then killing the immortal Vandal Savage paled in comparison to her obsessive love for Knockout. To her, Scandal _was_ literally a goddess to be worshiped and adored. And since both shared an infinite carving for wanton destruction and wholesale carnage, it was a match made in the nether realms.

Blacksmith delighted in discovering her powers also affected Daemonite. First she would convert the human host into organic steel. The neural energy Daemonite would emerge and before it could solidify, Blacksmith would insert her hand into it and instead of transforming it into steel, it converted into dead carbon. A carbon statue Girder delighted in smashing into pieces.

In addition, Girder did what he did best. He simply destroyed everything and killed anyone in his path. And he created enough havoc to distract his foes from his teammates' efforts.

Murmur enjoyed slicing up Daemonite hosts only to deliver the Daemonite within to him for dissection. With each new subject he perfected his ability to maximize pain and slow down the natural death while the subject lay helpless to act. Plunder stood near him and abandoned his own lesser weapons to take up Daemonite designed guns and blasted away with them. And had the time of his life doing so.

The Silver Sorceress simply kept the kept the bridge turned command center secured from intrusion. Blue Jay had her back and kept those within the bridge off of her. The carnage sickened them both. Even Magenta lost control.

Magenta's mental state had been deteriorating for some months now. Fran Kane had been in and out of mental hospitals her entire life. Wally West had tried to transform Fran into a superhero when he was a Teen Titan. Thus Magenta had been born and been eventually committed into a CADMUS psych ward. When CADMUS was shut down, Magenta escaped during the transfer to ARGUS control.

Seeing Daemonites emerging from human hosts snapped something inside of Magenta's fragile mind. So she shredded consoles all across the bridge and impaled dozens of Daemonite hosts and aliens themselves.

"Ha! There's no one left standing," Blacksmith crowed.

"But there's more fun outside," Scandal pointed out, "Three corridors full of these creatures to be precise."

"Pick your corridors people!" Blacksmith called out, "Sorceress, you and Blue Jay hold the bridge."

Scandal headed for a corridors and Knockout accompanied her, "Master's Black Bones, this is a good day."

Blacksmith accompanied Murmur and Plunder down another corridor. Girder decided to watch over his unrequited love, Magenta. Silver Sorceress opened the barriers she'd erected and let them through. Meanwhile, she kept the containment spells intact to shelter her and Blue Jay so they could enjoy a respite from the fighting.

* * *

The Injustice League appeared in the armory and intercepted the transfers of arms and explosives. David Cain threw everyone into motion seconds after they materialized. Their objectives were simple: to halt the dispersion of weapons and explosives and seize those same weapons for delivery to potential developers to reproduce them for the Injusticers.

Wrath aided Cain in eliminating Daemonites wholesale. Elliot Caldwell still owned Caldwell Arms but had no direct link with the company. But Wrath maintained ties to secret production facilities involved in illegal arms sales.

The father-son archery duo found the human hosts easy to kill but the Daemonites were harder to dispatch. But Merlyn and Dark Archer found the Daemonites' eyes and between their scales to be vulnerable. So their only worry now was that they'd run out of arrows before they ran out of targets.

Syonide's electro-whip did damage to hosts and Daemonites alike. White Lightning cowered while Aresia and Syonide protected her. Aresia was in her personal element killing creatures worthy of Greek myth. It was like her childhood on Themiscyra.

Lady Flash grabbed one Daemonite rifle after another as she depleted them while covering the four exits to the armory. A one woman crowd control, she dominated all four corridors. Only Cain's strict orders prevented her from pushing further into the ship.

Killer Frost set up hanging icicles in order for Major Disaster to use tremors to rain them down upon the Daemonites. Big Sir was nearing a panic attack, "Monsters, Major Man!"

"I won't let them hurt you," Major Disaster promised.

For the first time in her life, Killer Frost found a male adorable.

"Secure the room," Cain ordered, "Christina, scout ahead and find us a way out. Big Sir, load those pallet sleds and bring a couple. Everyone else, get ready to roll."

* * *

Nyssa, Dinah, and Cupid arrived in the observation deck. There Talia and Ubus awaited them. Talia sneered.

"I see you needed help," Talia mocked Nyssa.

"They know, Father. Your lie ends today along with your life," Nyssa retorted, "And I see you brought one hundred Ubus to resist me."

"This rebellion of yours ends today," Talia promised.

"I quite agree," Nyssa assured her.

* * *

"Attention, Belle Reeve airstrip, Ah'm makin' a landin' in ten minutes. Please clear the runway an' have the refuelin' trucks standin' by," Penny called in over the radio.

" _Excuse me, but who the hell is this? Where did you get this frequency?"_ the air traffic controller demanded to know.

"Mah call sign is _Invisible-1_. Ah'm an ARGUS flight an' Ah got this frequency from Amanda Waller. Ah'm pretty sure you know who what is. If not, contact Colonel Flagg an' tell him we're comin' in," Penny reiterated.

" _Look, honey. I don't even have anything on radar,"_ the controller replied.

"Keep watchin', Jackass," Penny flicked a switch and the modified B-1A bomber suddenly appeared minutes away from Belle Reeve.

" _Jesus Christ! Who is this broad?"_ the controller asked someone else in his periphery.

" _I don't know but you can bet your ass she has the Wall aboard,"_ the coworker replied.

* * *

After Penny taxied the Invisible Jet to the standby area near the hangar, the Justice League of America disembarked with Amanda Waller with them. Gwen Cormaugh was there to greet them. For the JLers it was their first view of the prison.

Green Arrow and Speedy hadn't come along due to their probationary status. Catgirl and Spoiler had also been left behind owing to their adolescence. Trevor had walked the grounds before Flagg moved Task Force X inside and still despised its purpose. Catwoman had done time in Blackgate so she appreciated the severity of the security.

General Glory grew disgruntled at the main gate where the prison's logo was predominantly displayed, 'We do our time and die inside', "Whatever happened to rehabilitation?"

"How often have you ever seen anyone rehabilitate?" Waller growled.

* * *

Waller, Trevor, and Gwen met with Karin and Flagg. Waller asked the obvious question, "Is it true?"

"It is," Karin answered, "The President ordered the Freedom Fighters to apprehend the Teen Titans and deliver them here."

"And to make matters worse, they missed three of them," Flagg added.

"Which three are MIA?" Waller asked.

"Red Hood, Miss Martian, and Caitlin Fairchild," Gwen listed them.

"Which would explain why those Titans were at the Hall of Justice and tore out of there when Deathstroke led everyone off to Nevada," Trevor surmised, "They'll have headed to J'onn Jonzz and the JLU."

"We need to know who all was involved in the Freedom Fighters grabbing the Teen Titans," Waller instructed.

"Get King Faraday on it," Gwen ordered.

"And get the Freedom Fighters here," Waller insisted.

"On it," Karin went to the communications room.

"I'll rally the Suicide Squad for an imminent attack," Flagg exited.

* * *

"Steve, will the JLers work with Task Force X?" Waller wanted to know.

"It'll be bumpy but it's doable," Trevor replied, "Artemis can handle Barda. But what about Superman?"

"Hopefully Uncle Sam will arrive before Superman tears the prison apart," Waller worried. "Do you have a strategy?"

"Three layers," Trevor stated, "Depending on team availability. First layer will be the JLA. Second layer will be composed of the Freedom Fighters. Last layer will be made up of the Suicide Squad. After that, it's up to you."

"The JLU will not approve of Task Force X," Waller predicted, "They met elements of the Squad but not everyone together. Once they do, they'll try and shut the program down."

"With any luck and preparation we can beat the JLU senseless before they have an opportunity to ask embarrassing questions," Trevor offered.

* * *

"Fall in and grab your gear," Flagg announced as teams of guards released Task Force X from their cells. Having been alerted to a possible mission, the team had already been ordered to strip down to their undergarments. Flagg was left wondering once again how some the undergarments made it past the postal inspectors.

Katana stood beside Flagg and insured his safety as he determined to prevent a gang rape aimed at Lime and Light and their provocative barely there panties and bras. Flagg armed everyone's neck bombs and the gathering went silent. Flagg addressed the crowd.

"No one but no one is getting any," he announced, "No matter how dumb ass some of your teammates are."

Nightshade, Warrant, and Unknown Soldier weren't criminals and were there in a voluntary basis. Black Orchid, Phantasm, Firehawk, Silver Swan, Puzzler and Savant had earned a commutation of their sentences and were off death row and looking towards drastically reducing their remaining sentences. Mayflower was the only prisoner fully pardoned thus far.

Everyone else operated under the hope they could join the others who'd earned a reprieve from a death sentence. Deadshot's boasting had earned him multiple death and life sentences despite his only being able to die once. Captain Boomerang had killed people from Australia to Europe to the United States and Canada. Countries were lined up to kill him if he escaped from the US. Even countries with no formal death sentence anymore.

Crowbar, Afterthought, Lime and Light had all been arrested shortly after their public debuts but each had killed enough people to earn their place on death row. Zoom was mystery. He purported to be a killer but his real identity of Daniel West yielded enough charges to incarcerate Zoom. And strangely enough, Daniel West still seemed to be criminally active beyond Belle Reeve's walls.

The Masters of Disaster were the most recent addition to the unit and the most unstable. They'd killed thousands in a rampage stretching across the American Midwest. They had the least motive despite the greatest urgency to cooperate.

Flagg explained Trevor's plan. Afterwards Deadshot sought clarification, "What are our Rules of Engagement. These are hero types after all."

"They're UN not USA," Flagg redirected the question, "And they're attacking a US federal prison and one of America's covert agencies. You do what needs to be done to stop them."

"Why are they coming to Belle Reeve anyway?" New Wave asked.

"The Freedom Fighters were tasked with apprehending some dangerous juveniles. They are being held here," Flagg gave the official version, "Three of the fugitive escaped and have convened the JLU to liberate them despite US policy regarding their disposition."

"Do we get decades shaved off our sentences for each JLer killed?" Captain Boomerang hungrily asked.

"Everyone facing Death Row gets commuted and serves a life term instead," Flagg told them the deal, "Those with already reduced sentences get eighteen more years off just for showing up today. Waller will make the appropriate adjustments after it's all said and done."

"Damn!" Lime exclaimed.

"These prisoners must be a hot commodity," Light added.

"You really have no idea," Flagg shared.

* * *

"Sam, who the hell authorized you to capture the Teen Titans?" Waller got in Uncle Sam's face, "We had no beef with them. We were even working with Fairchild."

Uncle Sam proving to be exceptionally obtuse regarding who originated the order, "Sorry, ma'am. That's classified."

"Sam, I know more than the President. He doesn't even have a security clearance to read my reports," Waller angrily explained, "Only one person on this planet has a higher grade clearance than me."

"Then I guess ya'll just got yore answer," Uncle Sam said stiffly.

"Go outside and hold the line," Waller ordered. Waller unofficially only answered to the ARGUS Director and that Director was the only person that could authorize an action unknown to her. Which meant the Teen Titans were knee deep in shit.

* * *

Belle Reeve's matter-energy scramblers insured that the ISA's teleporter system, inherited from the original JLU, couldn't bring anyone within a mile of the prison. So the JLU an d Teen Titan remnant waded through swamp water to get to dry land and come face to face with the prison walls and the JLA waiting for them.

The various JLers had expected resistance upon arriving at Belle Reeve they hadn't expected the bulk of the JLA to be there. With the notable exception of Power Girl. So Superman felt rather buoyed and unthreatened.

"Colonel Trevor," Superman said coolly as he cast an irritated glance at the pretender Wonder Woman.

Artemis was not the woman that had shared Lois' place in his heart. But Diana had left him and taken his daughter to raise on an enchanted island he couldn't ever visit. And Artemis reflected his rage about that.

"Stand down, all of you," Trevor chambered a round in his assault rifle, "This is a United States penal facility. The United Nations has no jurisdiction here."

"The United Nations has ultimate jurisdiction," Superman proudly declared.

"Except for those little clauses regarding national sovereignty in the UN charter," the Question remarked.

"ARGUS agents kidnapped the Teen Titans," Barda declared.

"The individuals in question were deemed national security threats. We're still unaware of why but that's being looked into," Trevor explained.

Red Hood began getting twitchy. Fairchild was still complacent. M'gann felt hunted again for the first time since reaching Earth.

"The United Nations has decided the Teen Titans human rights have been violated and granted them asylum," Superman bluffed.

"A fascinating development since most of the United Nations' hierarchy had fled into the Nevada Badlands to defend a space craft that brought their Daemonite possessors here to Earth," Question pointed out, "Rendering the various United Nations organs inert in confusion and leaderless."

"Then the Justice League Unlimited, as a sovereign state of its own, will grant them asylum," Superman countered.

"Max Lord negotiated the city-state sovereign status of the second JLU but you lost your city, which was given to ARGUS, and you lost your sovereignty since your current relationship with the United Nations does not grant you sovereign status," Question explained, "Perhaps you should read agreements before you sign them. You are nothing without the Secretary-General and there is no Secretary-General currently heading up the UN."

"This doesn't have to end in a fight," Superman promised.

"You could always leave and go somewhere tropical," Huntress suggested.

"You can't possibly win," Superman remarked.

"We'll just see, won't we?" Trevor asked.

Superman was uncomfortable with the resolve he saw in the JLA's eyes. He knew his JLers would hesitate when striking out at former friends. Something radical had to be done.

And the Ring of Volthoom did by deciding to try and feed off of the collective fears of all present while Power Ring was distracted.


	16. Chapter 16

11

Majestic carved a path through the Daemonite ranks who seemed incapable of stopping him. Even their heavy weapons emplacements did little more than slow him down and anger him. Cinder blazed a trail beside him using her plasma volleys to incinerate Daemonites without mercy or hesitation. Deathstroke had recently equipped the Italian with an outfit that didn't burn away when she assumed her plasma form and leave her naked when she reverted to being human.

Tattooed Man was in particularly fine form. The rage he displayed echoed that of when he'd first joined the Titans and was why he'd been recruited in the first place. Gunslinger also showed fine form akin to that when she fought criminal elements. There was no trace of hesitation now. Pat Trayce was fighting for humanity's future and it was a helluva fight.

Arsenal and Cheshire were also in exceptionally fine form for the first time in months. Protecting Lian was motivation they'd lacked recently and their work had suffered for it. Horus was an engine of destruction trying to keep up with Majestic. The boy was inexperienced but willing to learn.

Angelica was a battle angel dealing death at every turn. Slade was proud to call her a lover and a friend. Grifter was also unleashed in a way Deathstroke had seen from him since Team 7 broke apart. Voodoo was a variable Slade didn't quite know how to account for or anticipate but she slaughtered Daemonites wholesale with her human-alien hybrid body working overtime transforming itself into horrors even the Daemonites fled from. Sofia Cordon was "merely" human but she fought on par with Gunslinger.

Regulus did his Team 7 comrades proud as he resorted back to training that had made him one of Earth's most elite soldiers. Rose had been careless and been wounded but Ravager had a new protector and Red Robin stood fiercely by her side. Slade knew anything that killed Rose would march through Beryl's corpse. Deathstroke finally fully approved of his daughter's choice.

Zealot was death incarnate. She was the only one there keeping up with Deathstroke. Together they vanquished half of the Daemonites arrayed against them on their own. And their perseverance finally paid off when Lord Daemonite descended to personally deal with them.

* * *

Lord Emp led the WildCATS and Stormwatch on a march through the Daemonite's fortress. Void heralded dozens of their foes into the sun at a time. Spartan and TAO cut down dozens more with their energy projection abilities. Maul and Warblade made their deceased Kherabim parents count as they ripped through the enemy.

Apollo ceased projecting solar energy and used his depleted strength and durability to wade through enemy fire. Midnighter defended his husband's back and killed every conceivable threat to Apollo. Red Fury saw a turning point in human events and exerted every ounce of willpower and physical strength to reach it. Deathblow saw the established goal of eliminating the Daemonite presence on Earth and already counted his paycheck.

* * *

The Injusticers happened upon one another and signaled Projectionist to get directions to Nyssa and Black Canary's location. Given directions to the observation deck, they set out once again.

* * *

Lord Daemonite, like every member of his race, was more powerful in his neural energy state than in his physical form. Every Daemonite had evolved to inhabit other life forms and thereby enhance their own vitality and lifespan through possession. Lord Daemonite was held in suspension in his neural state buy his armor. As such, he'd survived on Earth for nearly ten thousand years.

Lord Daemonite handled Majestic rather harshly. But in the process of beating down Majestic, Lord Daemonites armor was damaged and his reverted back to his physical form. And Deathstroke and Zealot moved in on him.

Lord Daemonite knew about the Coda warrior-priestess but Deathstroke surprised him. His intelligence networks had described Slade Wilson but they always seemed incredulous to believe regarding a pureblood human with no external enhancements. Deathstroke's speed and strength were as phenomenal as his strategic talents.

He and Zealot had prepared for this event. And Lord Daemonite suffered because of it. Seeing Lord Daemonite was a physical being once again, she leapt high in the air and plunged her sword through his skull and she rode his dead body into the ground.

"That's for my fallen kindred," Zealot proudly declared with satisfaction.

"And this is for the hell of it," Deathstroke cut Lord Daemonites head off and held it aloft after impaling it on his sword. The Daemonites fled in droves from them.

"You shoulda saved a piece for me," Majestic complained.

"We can't leave a single alien alive," Deathstroke declared, "Present company excluded."

Zealot nodded her acknowledgement towards him.

"So let's finish this," Deathstroke led the charge holding Lord Daemonites head as a banner.

* * *

"Well, well, well, the timeline hasn't been as corrupted as I'd feared;" Saturn Queen opened her eyes and turned to face Libra, "You have a question."

"The plans for the mummy are underway," Libra reported.

"That isn't your question," Saturn Queen noted, "Although Gotham won't know what hit it."

"Why Gotham?" Libra asked.

"Because we have to break the Bat," Saturn Queen explained at long last, "Without his resolve, Superman will crumble."

"Speaking of whom, how is Kal-L?" Eve Aries worried about the dimwitted, infantile other dimensional Kryptonian that looked to her as a mother figure.

"He's responding to the solar energy bombardment as expected," Libra told her, "How did you know?"

"Kal-El of Earth Prime has a very diluted bloodline but solar treatments will grant his last two descendents left on Earth to adopt some semblance fo his legendary powers. Laurel restores the family invulnerability and Lara regains the strength derived from Kal-El and Princess Diana," Saturn Queen revealed.

"You never said they had children," Libra was horrified.

"A child, singular. But eventually she'll put her birthing hips to prodigious use," Saturn Queen chuckled.

"First a multiverse and now the fact that Superman and Wonder Woman had a baby," Libra was amazed, "Why haven't you mentioned any of this before?"

"It never came up," Saturn Queen shared, "I know a thousand years of history that haven't happened for you yet. And most of it will never be revealed. As far as Kal-El and Diana go, they don't get along anymore. Her day in Man's World is done. Artemis is Wonder Woman now."

"For forever?" Libra asked.

"For a time at least," Saturn Queen did divulge, "But she never returns to Themiscyra."

"I have so many questions," Libra's mind was reeling.

"Just do your job and you'll make history happen," Saturn Queen promised.

* * *

Barbara Gordon was being released from Blackgate Prison. Newshounds pressed as close as they could by Bullock had detailed loyal officers to keeping the peace. Bluebird had handed over all the evidence the Movement had delved up regarding Barbara's case and she had been released on bail pending the determination of the GCPD's Internal Affairs investigation.

Bullock drove Barb home, "Y'know Commish, it ain't been the same without ya. That poodle headed butt kisser sittin' at yer desk don't know his backside from the hole in it."

"I haven't been reinstated yet. I still need to be cleared and have the mayor put me back in place. Without the last step I'll just be demoted back to detective's shield if I'm lucky," Barbara explained, "Peter Hill is interviewing candidates for the job."

"He can't be as dumb as his daddy was," Bullock complained, "Hamilton Hill did a lot but even he never booted Jim Gordon to the curb."

"But Peter isn't Hamilton and I'm not my dad," Barbara warned him, "But it's nice to be out of my cell."

"I understand ya took a little trip anyhoo," Bullock reminded her, "An' if ya kin stay away from any Bats, you'll do fine."

"Or any Bluebirds?" Barbara asked, "Because she was mysteriously in Coral City with me."

"Nice kid. Too bad we gotta arrest her," Bullock said primly.

"A girl with a blue Mohawk and the GCPD can't narrow down a list of suspects?" Barb pressed harder.

"Never came up," Bullock deflected the question.

Barbara smirked.

* * *

Explosives went off all across Gotham. As first responders arrived they found each explosive had been attached to sand bags. And coastal winds were stirring up the sand and gases mixed with it. Those exposed were mutated, not into television's version of a zombie, but rather those exposed were mummified. And Disco Mummy controlled them with her scorpion shaped bracelet.

The Secret Society of Super Villains went amuck and loudly proclaimed themselves to be Legionnaires from Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom. Disco Mummy's minions went forth as a legion carrying more infected sandbags they spread the infection with. And the Secret Society grew rich as Gotham was winnowed down into a tribe of mummies.

* * *

Jaina Hudson responded to the news by driving out to Wayne Manor. Upon arrival she used her meta-human gift to split into two separate beings. Jaina was now joined by the impish White Rabbit.

"He's not going to like this," White Rabbit warned Jaina in a sing-song manner.

"I'm beyond giving a shit what Bruce Wayne does or does not like," Jaina said irritably.

"Yes, you do and I should know," White Rabbit annoyingly retorted.

"Just get us inside," Jaina growled.

White Rabbit disabled the locks and security system within seconds, "I'll leave him the interior surveillance so he doesn't take our pretty little heads off when we reach the Bat Cave."

Descending the stairs behind the grandfather clock, they found Batman geared up in his Beyond suit, as White Rabbit colorfully described it, preparing to board the new flying Batmobile, "You know your way in so it should be simple to find your way out."

"Can I go for a ride?" White Rabbit excitedly asked.

"You…want to help?" Batman was dubious.

"Sure," she replied flippantly.

"How can we assist you?" the ever more practical Jaina asked.

His body language betrayed his inner debate. Batman's need for self sufficiency warred with his knowledge of his damaged heart. With the miracles of his new powered suit he could still be Batman…for short spurts.

"Use the systems to guide me in to where I'm needed most. I'll send you a sample of the hazardous material over our link. The Batmobile can sift it and the computer here can do a full analysis," Batman relented.

"I'll do it," Jaina pledged.

Batman boarded his Batmobile _without_ the White Rabbit being aboard and flew down the tunnel entrance. She wasn't one to wait around though, "I'll grab a car from the garage and check things out downtown. Get you a hand's on analysis. If you get bored you can join me."

"Watch your tail, you march hare," Jaina advised her.

Jaina wished she'd heeded her own advice when it came to Bruce Wayne.

* * *

Jaina fed Batman summaries of the police and emergency services reports stemming from hospitals and other crisis centers called in for biohazard duty. He hadn't realized how thorough, or quick, she would be at it when she began. It was little wonder she and the White Rabbit had fooled him for so long. Jaina honestly wanted to change the world for the better…but her idea of better was placing a strong dictator at the top of the global heap. White Rabbit just enjoyed pulling the strings getting there.

Batman knew their different agendas would eventually collide the way his and Ra's al Ghul's had always come between he and Talia. Fortunately, Jaina had chosen Vandal Savage over Ra's as her tyrant of choice. And Ra's was dead and Talia was not her father no matter how hard White Rabbit tried to sculpt her. But Nyssa Raatko was a variable he'd never seen coming.

* * *

Bluebird contacted Roxy, who was trying to get clearance for the JSA All Stars to intervene in Gotham. Finally it was Claire Montgomery working on behalf of the Conglomerate through the legal pools of their various sponsors that green lit the endeavor. So the Conglomerate set out in troop transport helicopters built by Ferris Aircraft and the All Stars rushed to the scene flown by Zinda Blake in the All Star Racer.

* * *

Cupid wasn't interested in taking prisoners and Black Canary couldn't blame her. The Ubu clones were out for their blood. Even after Cupid expended every arrow in her quiver, Dinah learned why the hot blooded archer carried a combat knife. It was because she was as quick and deadly as a cobra with it. And she seemingly retrieved arrows from corpses at random to fire into new targets.

Seeing she wouldn't have to "protect" Cupid from the Ubus, quite the contrary it seemed, Black Canary had the luxury of fretting over how Nyssa's confrontation with Talia was going. Fighting one's half-sister was hard enough but when that sister's body contained their mutual father's mind, things got freaky very swiftly.

But Nyssa saw Ra's hadn't trained inside Talia's body. All of his muscle memory was set up around a male proportioned body. And Talia definitely wasn't male no matter whose mind was within it. So Nyssa concentrated on tearing Talia apart swiftly and brutally.

Black Canary spared the last Ubu from Cupid's wrath, "She'll need one."

"We aren't killing this bitch?" Cupid was aghast, "How cocked up is that?"

"It's the price for Nyssa to keep her soul," Dinah explained.

* * *

"I haven't inflicted any permanent damage," Nyssa stood near Talia, looming over her crumpled body, "Your unwanted beauty will remain intact. We've left you an Ubu to protect you. A corps of assassins will also serve in every regard except revenge against Dinah or myself. Dinah Laurel Drake Lance will become the Demon and I will be restored as the Demon's Hand. You are now the Exile but while the halls of the Leagues of Shadows and Assassins are closed to you, the remaining Lazarus Pits are not. I want you to live for a very long time as a woman forced to reflect in their mirror where that body came from and the price attached to it."

"I am above regret," Talia sniffed.

"Even so, don't consider this mercy. I want you close to the halls of power knowing you can never again enter them," Nyssa told her, "That should burn at your heart and mind for as long as you manage to live. And thus my revenge and my justice will be served."

"You're fool, Nyssa. A true daughter of mine would kill me rather than leave me alone to avenge myself," Talia warned her.

"And there will be days you'll pray Hitler's Final Solution would have counted me as a victim," Nyssa promised, "But as often as you strike out at me and those I love I will exact penance from you and eventually your body will bear so many of my marks you'll desire to leave it and that won't happen."

"My revenge will come because you can never have an heir as long as you carry on your abominations," Talia proclaimed, "So all you build will be destroyed when you and your accursed lover die."

"Did you ever wonder who gave Supreme Damien's location?" Nyssa asked archly.

" _You_!" all of Ra's al Ghul's inner venom and hate spewed forth at that moment as s/he tried to lunge at Nyssa. Nyssa had an arrow nocked and drown faster that Talia could move.

"Shall we tempt fate?" she asked.

Talia subsided. Nyssa clucked her tongue, "You never were one for direct confrontation these past ten years."

"I will have my vengeance," Talia predicted.

"And so will I," Nyssa promised, "Ubu! Take her away from this place. The League of Assassins will find you wherever you go. They will watch over her as though she were one of their own."

Ubu shuffled Talia away. Black Canary stood near Nyssa, "So it's done?"

Nyssa actually managed to laugh, "It's hardly begun, my sweet. The Injusticers should arrive at any minute and Jenny Quantum will remove us from this place and take us to Nanda Parbat where you will arrive victorious."

"And you think they will honestly place me as the new Demon's Head?" Dinah doubted it.

"You've passed all of the important tests and won all of the vital hearts," Nyssa assured her, "Now all that remains is mounting your newly won throne."

* * *

The remaining Daemonite hunters gathered to destroy the citadel once and for all. Using the decimated Daemonites own stockpiles, they rigged enough explosives to level a city block. After the deed was done and the explosives were detonated, it was time for decisions to be made.

Everyone was bathed in blood but there were now long term ramifications stretching beyond simple meals, festivities, and baths. Now the destiny of the Earthbound Kherabim and their descendents had to be decided. Lord Emp began by accepting Weatherman's offer to provide transport back to Khera.

The WildCATS all volunteered to travel to the world of the parents or their creation. Even Zealot chose to disembark. But Kenesha, alone of the loose knit Khera centered alliance, opted to stay.

"My home is Earth, not Khera. I'll live out my days here on Earth Prime; after all, it's the hub of the multiverse. Everything important in history happens here," Kenesha told her mother.

"Be well and be strong," Zealot told her, "And before I depart, lets learn something of one another."

"Cool," Kenesha was just grateful Zealot hadn't argued with her decision.

* * *

"So, any thought on tomorrow?" Sofia asked Voodoo.

"I'm not going back to stripping," Voodoo decided, "Other than that, I'm pretty open."

"Me too," Sofia admitted, "We have a whole network to repurpose. I guess we should wait for Cole to decide what to repurpose it for."

"I don't think Grifter will have anything else on his mind until those guys find John Lynch. Not that I blame them," Voodoo agreed.

* * *

"We missed Lynch," Regulus complained.

"But we know where he's gone," Deathstroke promised him.

"Where?" Grifter wondered.

"NOWHERE," Deathstroke answered.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Majestic growled.

"NOWHERE is a place," Grifter told them both, "It's a top secret government lab."

"I'm sitting this one out," Ravager told her father. Blood still seeped from her wounds.

"I think we're about to get additional help anyway," Slade confided in Rose.

"Need a hand?" Deathblow asked.

"Not really," Regulus snorted.

"I'm not really asking. That was just my way of saying 'I'm coming with you'," Deathblow told them.

"I'm coming as well," Angelica warned them.

"MI-6 will want confirmation Lynch is dead," Red Fury announced.

"Count me in, Slade," Gunslinger told him.

"Now it's a party," Grifter laughed.

* * *

"Welcome to Nanda Parbat, seat of the Demon's Head," Ducard announced as Dinah was led to the throne, "After the ceremony, there will be the Great Feast and then a new era will begin."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Black Canary whispered her confidence to Nyssa.

"The ceremony is six hours long and the feast goes for another ten. So I hope you aren't tired," Nyssa smirked.

"I hear the Demon gets a bed big enough for six," Dinah grinned, "Care to help explore every square inch of it when this ballyhoo is finally open."

"We'll see if you have the strength," Nyssa teased her.

"She doubts me," Black Canary sounded affronted, "I always rise to a challenge."

"As do I," Nyssa vowed.

"Then we're in for a lot of fun," Dinah promised.

* * *

While the feast carried on, Nyssa spoke quietly with every Injusticer one on one. She promised them their role as semi-autonomous agents would continue unhindered despite Nyssa's restored role as the Demon's Hand. Then Cupid cornered her.

"Food, wine, and song are great but I want my Ollie back," Cupid warned Nyssa.

"I sent agents to collect Oliver Queen's corpse. His body will be here in less than eighteen hours. After it arrives, I will reinvigorate the Lazarus Pit here in the fortress and revive Queen," Nyssa promised, "You have until then to change your mind."

"Why would I do that?" Cupid was honestly confused.

"Because Queen has been dead for months. What the pit brings back to life will be partially Oliver Queen and partially…something else," Nyssa warned her.

"I want my Ollie," Cupid declared insistently.

"Then God help you," Nyssa washed herself of it.


	17. Chapter 17

12

In the brewing conflict between the Justice League Unlimited and the Justice League of America, Superman continued confronting Steve Trevor, "Don't do this, Colonel. Diana spoke fondly of your great-grandfather. I can only hope you're a man of honor as he was and worthy of her respect."

"And Diana abandoned our world because of you and she'll never return because of you as well," Trevor replied, "So I doubt you can inspire any confidence."

Superman wondered how Trevor knew the sordid details. Nearby he heard Artemis, the pretender, facing Barda. He vowed in his heart that Barda would extract his vengeance from her for him.

"You're just an ordinary soldier. You can't possibly defeat me," Superman duly informed Trevor.

"The man as god routine probably wooed Diana after her frustrations with the Bat but other than attracting other aliens with god complexes, it really doesn't fly with ordinary citizens," Trevor warned Superman.

"You have a gun," Superman said coldly, "What can you possibly do to me with it?"

"Funny you should ask," Trevor fired off three sequential rounds that penetrated Superman's skin and caused him an extraordinary amount of pain, "ARGUS picked up where CADMUS left off. Most of CADMUS revolved around various projects designed to harm or kill you should the need arise. What you feeling is a kryptonite chip tipped bullet that's also a red solar fusion battery. So between the red solar energy and the kryptonite, you can't heal the wounds and you'll slowly bleed to death. The original prototype rounds came from a disgruntled lady named Lashina."

Superman began to go into shock and Trevor gave him his last ultimatum, "I'm a crack shot but there are only so many non-vital parts of a body to shoot."

Two more rounds punctured Superman's flesh and Trevor shrugged, "See what I mean?"

"Raagh!" Superman's primal cry was as primitive as his lunge. Trevor shot him three times in the chest and Superman fell before him. Checking the Kryptonian's vitals, he confirmed Kal-El of Krypton was dead.

* * *

J'onn stared down at the armored Azrael from where he floated overhead. He tapped into Jean-Paul Valley's mind and was barraged by voices and imagery. J'onn recognized the crops grown from the seeds of brainwashing. But Azrael had resisted his tormentors so the programming was incomplete. But one ground into instinct within Azrael was to combat certain alien species. Martians, both Green and White, were typified as mortal nemeses needing extermination.

To J'onn's dismay, the blades that extended from Azrael's gauntlets ignited. He tried to employ his Martian Vision to knock Azrael away from him and out of danger. But Azrael, an Agent of the Bat, utilized a grappler to snare J'onn's ankle and reel him in.

Azrael pinioned the grapple line into Belle Reeve's walls. J'onn tried pushing Azrael down the path of insanity. But Jean-Paul went into a murderous frenzy and threatened J'onn even more. Between the burning blades and being impaled by one, J'onn lost consciousness. And Azrael got a hold of himself and stood by for further instructions.

* * *

"How's it hangin', poser," Guy Gardner taunted John Stewart.

"At least I have a pair," John riposted.

"Wuz that humor?" Guy scoffed, "God forbid that the Hawkgirl should be teachin' ya humor. Makes me think I shouldn't kick yer ass after all."

"Then why do it?" John wondered.

"I ain't one fer marchin' ta orders but when they consist of whuppin' yer sorry butt then I'm all over it like a monkey outta a box," Guy boasted.

"What does that even mean?" John wondered.

"This, suckwad" Guy created a yellow spectrum spear and hurled it at John. Stewart got his green shield construct made of will up just in time. John finally realized how serious Guy's intent to harm him was.

Guy had once been a formidable Green Lantern before vacillating between being a Fear Lantern and a Red Lantern. Of course word from the newly reorganized Green Lantern Corps was that speculation had arisen regarding the Guardians' sanity when they rejected Guy. And if the GL Corps could afford to let Guy remain a Fear or Red Lantern.

"Hold up," John wanted to parlay, "You've always boasted that you could take any ring wielder _mano y mano_. Care to try."

"If yer willin', ya coward," Guy challenged him.

John threw his ring aside, "Your turn."

Guy made a show of tossing his ring aside. John belted him with a flying green "brass" knuckle. John opened his hand and revealed he still had his ring and the one he'd thrown away was a construct.

"Sorry, but I can't afford to lose," John consoled the knocked out Guy.

* * *

"Carter, this isn't the way," Shayera pled with Hawkman.

"I take my duties seriously," Carter Hall warned her, "They used to mean something to you too."

"My duty got the planet invaded," Shayera reminded him.

"To the JLU or whatever your merry little band of UN wannabes is calling itself these days," Hawkman corrected her.

"I could say the same about you JLers and Waller," Shayera countered. She knew this wasn't going to end well.

Her advantage was in the air. Flying was second nature to her. Carter hadn't begun until he was an adult. He'd even used an Nth metal belt and artificial wings for the first few years before he began to rapidly grown his own. Somehow, his DNA had altered to make him a human-Thanagarian hybrid. Which gave her hope if she and John were to have children.

Shayera had coached and mentored Hawkman in the arts of flying and fighting with traditional Nth metal weapons. Hawkman had taken to fighting faster than flying. Now he was known as the "Savage Hawkman" by the press.

She flew and Carter pursued. He carried an axe and also a sword on his belt. Shayera carried her traditional mace.

She deflected most of his attacks through aerial trickery but Hawkman's attacks were pure Thanagarian military doctrine styled assaults. Shayera ventured forth on a series of dives and climbs, twist and turns and Hawkman struggled to keep up.

Shayera no longer doubted that Carter was a reincarnation of Khufu, the first human reincarnation of the Thanagarian Katar Hol. Did that make her an incarnation of Chay-Ara? But as always, it ended with Shayera not caring about past lives. Only the present mattered to her.

She decided to press all of her advantages and beat Hawkman out of the air and then disarmed him and beat him senseless on the ground. She was grateful Troia was busy elsewhere. Earth-52's Donna Troy loved Hawkman the way Shayera loved John. And she wished them both the best.

* * *

"Ah reckon y'all better put yoreself a few hunnert miles away from here, Pard," Vigilante counseled Captain Atom, "`Cause Ah'm about ta blow a few dozen holes through an' through yore pretty little silver suit."

"You know you don't want to do that, Vig," Captain Atom did his own consulting.

"Do not be tellin' me whut Ah do or do not want ta do," Vigilante warned him out of sheer cussedness.

"Do your worst then," Captain Atom scoffed.

Vig emptied his modified revolvers that fired hyperkinetic nonlethal round. But Captain Atom's containment suit didn't house flesh and blood to bruise or bones to break. He vaporized the rounds with a quantum energy stream. Then he used a few spurts to disarm Vigilante.

"Now ya'll have gone and made me plumb mad," Vig warned his foe.

He used martial arts to beat at the containment suit. It ended when he threw Captain Atom and the former soldier scoffed once again, "Really? Judo? Against a guy like me?"

He blasted Vigilante into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kathy Duquesne had seen weird things growing up in gangland Gotham. Then even stranger things as the second of three Batwomen. But Sonia Alcona was dead and Rocki Ballantine had tested positive for HIV, leaving Kathy the primary Batwoman. And she'd seen things to take a whole plate of biscuits as a JLer.

But Batwoman was ill equipped to defend herself against Atom's size changing tricks. But even with his size altering abilities, she was the superior hand to hand combatant. So he eventually resorted to gassing her into slumber.

Jean Loring, Ray Palmer's on-again lover, had pushed for civil action in the courts against the JLA. Barring that to physically disrupt their every mission. And only now did Atom begin to wonder why she kept pushing for a confrontation like this one.

* * *

"I knew Princess Diana and you're no Diana," Barda mocked the current Wonder Woman.

"I'm Artemis and I'm a newer and better Wonder Woman," she proudly declared.

"We'll see," Barda snatched the mega-wand from her hip and began blasting away.

But Wonder Woman's shield had been forged by Hephaestus and her sandals laced over her boots were a gift from Hermes. So her shield easily repulsed the barrage and the sandals provided the powers of speed and flight.

And Artemis, the "goddess" Wonder Woman was named for, had bestowed her bow and quiver upon the Amazon. So Wonder Woman unerringly began returning fire. And she still possessed Athena's sword as well.

The gauntlet fitted around Artemis' right hand was a gift from Hercules and increased her strength tenfold. All combined with Hera's armor and lasso. Even the fearless Barda began to worry over her ability to survive much less win this fight. And then Artemis impaled the mega-wand with an arrow in its emitter end. Barda threw the wand seconds before it exploded.

Barda was knocked off of her feet while Wonder Woman took shelter on one knee behind her shield. Artemis sat the shield down and removed her quiver as she sat her bow beside the shield. Unbuckling her sword belt, she laid it across her shield. Finally, she draped the lasso of truth across the sword belt.

Barda slipped on her hover discs and flew into the air, "Care to join me?"

"Of course," Wonder Woman flew to meet Barda above the grounds.

The New God expected to have complete supremacy in this situation but Artemis' gauntlet of Hercules gave her strength surpassing Barda's own. The new Wonder Woman could hit like Orion with her right hand. So it was upon Barda to keep the right hand deflected and only engage the left.

Barda inwardly laughed when Artemis took hold of her armor with her right hand. But her merriment ended when Wonder Woman kicked off from the New God and tore her armor to shreds as she did so. Artemis cast aside the ruptured chainmail and hammered at Barda's headdress with her right fist.

Barda made her escape and cast off her ruined head gear, "Parlay!"

Artemis struck her bracelets together and created a sonic shockwave that blew Barda out of the air. Wonder Woman gathered her sword and placed the blade in the recovering Barda's throat, "You want a taste of my weapon? Keep struggling."

"We aren't your enemies," Barda was quick to declare.

"I believe the expression is, 'pull the other one'," Artemis retorted.

"Listen to why I'm here and then decide on whether or not to kill me," Barda offered.

"I might just kill you after you've spoken anyway," Artemis warned her.

"So be it," Barda resigned herself to her fate.

* * *

Starling and Bat-Girl divvied up their targets according to their ammo load. Starling carried cryo-mist bullets designed to impair foes like Cinder, and incidentally, Fire. Starling watched with some satisfaction as six rounds put through Beatriz de Costa caused her to cool to fleshly solidity.

But Fire slagged the rifle in Starling's hands and then erected a flaming orison around her before reigniting and flying off. Starling desperately tried to radio Elizabeth Kane.

Bat-Girl had thermal rounds designed to combat opponents like Ice. But she laid the rifle down and tried to negotiate with Ice. Fire came in all fury and flame. She melted Bat-Girls discarded weapon and then created a flaming cage around Bat-Girl as well. Bat-Girl watched the pair head back to Belle Reeves main gate before answering Starling's frantic calls.

* * *

"It doesn't have to be this way, Ted," Mari McCabe advised Blue Beetle.

"You're right. It doesn't," he told Vixen.

"I'm glad you can be so reasonable about this," Vixen admitted.

"I'm always reasonable about accepting someones surrender," Blue Beetle calmly told her with high expectations.

"I'd rather eat dirt than surrender to you," Vixen snarled.

"Given what your animal totem can do to you, that might actually happen," Blue Beetle predicted.

"You arrogant sonuva…" Vixen began to rant.

"Language," Blue Beetle chided her as he flashed her with his blinding strobe gun.

Disoriented, she was unprepared for the precision of his attack. She was knocked unconscious within seconds. Blue Beetle confidently moved on.

* * *

The Ring of Volthoom whispered its findings to Jessica Cruz. Catwoman was filled with fear and the ring could plague her doubts and insecurities. But General Glory was imbued with a supernatural courage. So Power Ring focused her efforts on General Glory.

She marveled at his acrobatic prowess as he navigated her construct pitfalls. And his patriotic soliloquy amused at first but she quickly tired of his voice. But while Power Ring was amazed at General Glory's stamina, she lost track of Catwoman.

Until Selina Kyle leapt on her back and wrapped her bullwhip around Power Ring's throat. It seemed Catwoman could master her fear after all. But Jessica wasn't easily subdued. She'd master the Ring of Volthoom through sheer willpower of all the Power Rings in the multiverse.

Power Ring gently jolted Catwoman to sleep and then bound General Glory up and she began to study him. Her ring told her he was a paraplegic but she'd seen evidence to the contrary with her own eyes. But also seemed reasonable. So Power Ring began a dialogue with General Glory.

* * *

Vibe used his control over transdimensional vibrations to cut Apache Chief off from the source of his mystical powers. But that still left Cisco Ramone alone against a physical powerhouse. Vibe was young and fast but Apache Chief was skilled and smart. Once Vibe was out cold, Apache Chief's powers returned.

* * *

Animal Man drew his strengths from the surrounding wildlife in the Louisiana swamps surrounding Belle Reeve. But Samurai's elemental powers made short work of him. But Samurai spared him the worst of what he could have done.

* * *

"Isn't this better?" Crimson Fox cooed at Black Vulcan.

He almost drooled as he fervently nodded, a victim in the grip of her pheromones. She'd seen what had happened to her beloved Animal Man and she wanted vengeance and Black Vulcan would be her instrument. But Apache Chief could now phase as Black Vulcan attacked him.

Samurai discreetly got behind Crimson Fox and knocked her out with a series of punches. Her savagery surprised him. As the air cleared, Black Vulcan came to, "Aw man, I'm sorry guys."

"We all remember the chemical witchery of our former comrade, Crimson Fox," Samurai replied.

"She seemed most distressed when you dealt with Animal Man," Apache Chief had observed.

"That would make all kinds of crazy sense," Black Vulcan opined.

"Let us unite them and perhaps they will think before attacking once again when they awaken," Samurai suggested.

"Good plan," Apache Chief agreed.

* * *

"Ralph, it doesn't have to be this way," Hourman warned Elongated Man.

"Go back to the JSA and suck an egg," Ralph retorted.

Hourman used his Miraclo injected strength to stretch Elongated Man beyond his limits of endurance. Ralph began to protest, " _Urk_ … _agh_ … _nggh_ …okay! Uncle! Uncle already!"

"Stay!" Hourman ordered as he marched on Belle Reeve's gates.

"Arf," Ralph complained.

* * *

"You're Jesse Quick! Daughter of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle," Trajectory realized.

"I am," Jesse felt a swell of pride.

"We studied you old school heroes in the Everyman Project," Trajectory burst Jesse's bubble of pride.

"And they accelerated your metabolism so far you have to take a stabilizing agent just to keep from burning up," Jesse replied, "The formula is still a secret but it's been theorized to be a blend of Velocity 9 and Venom."

"Jealous much?" Trajectory taunted Jesse.

"Are we gonna fight or what?" Jesse impatiently asked.

"Howsabout a race around the Equator? First one back here wins and the loser surrenders," Trajectory offered.

"Call it," Jesse readied herself.

"Ready, steady…go!" and the speedsters took off.

* * *

Several minutes later Jesse skidded to a halt. Trajectory came in ten seconds later. A lifetime amongst those connected to the Speed Force. Both women were winded.

"Well?" Jesse managed to ask.

"I give up already," Trajectory said sullenly, "Besides, I'm too tired to fight you."

"Are you going to be okay?" Jesse suddenly worried.

"What? Oh, I'll be fine. I am going to sit the rest of this out and eat ration bars though," Trajectory explained.

"Where?" Jesse was astounded by the idea.

"We brought a plane. Penny flew it and she's helping Plastic Man and Hula Hula guard it," Trajectory blithely gave away Waller's secret.

"Oh really?" Jesse felt like she'd just swallowed the metaphorical canary, "You have a name?"

"Trajectory," she answered.

"No, what's your real name?" Jesse clarified.

"Eliza Harmon," Trajectory supplied the information.

"Well Eliza, I'm Jesse Chambers to my friends," she stated, ""And we didn't know Plas was back with the JLA. You might want to be more careful in the future."

"Whatever, you'd have found out after this mission anyway," Trajectory said breezily, "Have fun storming the prison."

* * *

Red Hood battled Darknight hand to hand. Several times into it, Jason Todd thought the Chinese Batman counterpart had him. But Red Robin had been the Squire to the Knight and as such she'd trained under Batman, Incorporated's regime. So many of Darknight's techniques were familiar to him.

Red Hood had been trained by the League of Assassins so they'd also prepared him to anticipate Batman. Now Red Hood was a member of the Teen Titans having already betrayed the Outsiders to their enemies. And Red Hood was preparing to forsake the Teen Titans and strike out as a supposed criminal secretly acting to undermine the very criminals he would work for.

So Red Hood redoubled his efforts and knocked Darknight out.

* * *

Fairchild was stronger than Troia but she didn't have an ounce of training. So Troia systematically dismantled her within seconds. Then Troia looped her Lasso of Persuasion over Fairchild and prepared to use her prisoner as a weapon.

* * *

Miss Martian thought sending Ri against her was someone's idea of a joke. That thought was only reinforced when M'gann caused Ri to simply pass out without a struggle. Then M'gann recognized Fairchild's plight and Troia used Caitlin as a proxy to battle M'gann M'orzz and eventually Red Hood as well.

* * *

"He's dead," Trevor told Barda flatly.

"His brain can go hours without fresh oxygen so he can still be revived," Barda told Trevor, "Otherwise you'd be dead now."

Artemis drew her sword, "I really don't think so."

"Fine," Barda huffed as she hefted Superman's body, "Do what you will."

Her Mother Box opened a boom tube and transferred her to the Fortress of Solitude.

"How did she know his brain didn't need oxygen for extended periods of time?" Trevor wondered.

"I wouldn't know," Wonder Woman hated to confess.

* * *

The JLA stood down as the Freedom Fighters emerged from Belle Reeve to confront the JLU. No one moved until a boom tube brought Barda and a depleted Superman back. No one quite noticed the dust cloud that rose a second later.

"Turn over the Teen Titans," Superman demanded.

Waller came out the main gate, "Out of the question."

"Your leader didn't order their detention. A woman named Grail ordered it and your leader complied with her wishes," Barda told her.

"I know," Waller shared, "I'm not without resources but it was still a lawful order."

"You'd better do what he says," Obsession said from behind the group. Everyone stared at her wondering when she'd crafted a "Super" suit with suggestive lines.

"Here we go again," Uncle Sam grumped.

"You," Barda accused.

"Me," Obsession brightly agreed and flaunted a five karat diamond ring, "You'd best back off because we're married now."

Now everyone stared at Superman's hand where it still bore a gold band. He recognized the ring as being Diana's that she'd left behind. He wondered just how she had gotten it.

"If you don't go away, I will hurt you. I promise you that," Barda declared.

"No, let her stay. She can be helpful," Superman decided.

Obsession looked completely triumphant and Barda was hurt and confused.

"You will stand down or you will be arrested for trespassing on a government site," Waller warned them.

"This isn't over," Superman warned her.

"I'll even give you back the Teen Titans you brought with you if you leave peaceably," Waller counter-offered.

Troia delivered Red Hood and Miss Martian with Fairchild's help. Waller stared down Superman, "This offer expires in thirty seconds."

"We're done here," he declared to everyone's relief.

"Brilliant move, lover," Obsession cooed.

Barda wanted to gag.


	18. Chapter 18

10

The Injusticers enjoyed the party. Many of them had paired off with members of the League of Assassins. Traditionally Ra's harem would have been executed. Talia broke tradition by keeping the harem alive and taking over it. White Willow expressed her gratitude at Black Canary liberating the concubines, many of whom were White Willow's lovers. IT seemed Ra's' ego hadn't allowed him to imagine that the concubines enjoyed each others' company more than his.

Damian Darhk made his protest when Dinah Lance was crowned the Demon's Head. He stood alone as he demanded he be selected as the Demon. Nyssa stood by and let Dinah control the situation.

"Kill him for treason against the Demon's leadership," Dinah proclaimed.

Darhk vanished from sight. The Guard's scrambled to find him. Black Canary summoned the leadership of the Leagues of Shadows and Assassins.

"Tomorrow we send forth our agents and begin to test the nations," she decided, "When those teetering on collapse from corruption and depravity and then we destroy them."

Nyssa knew Dinah was a natural as the assembled leaders approved and eagerly awaited restoring their traditional mission.

* * *

Waller still adamantly refused to release the Teen Titans despite knowing their free companions would undoubtedly return for them. Gwen seemed complacent enough and Waller suspected she actually understood the administrator's reasoning. Colonels Trevor and Flagg resisted as did SAIC Karin Grace. King Faraday approved as did Sarge Steel, being the only two people present knowing Waller's ulterior motive.

"We've learned POTUS acted out of orders from a power broker called 'Grail' whether that's her real name or not. Apocryphal evidence supports she was raised here on Earth Prime but rumors also persist that she's the daughter of a disgraced Amazon and Darkseid himself," Waller explained what Faraday's teams had unearthed, "What needs to happen now is to confront the President and discover whether this Grail person has an agenda corresponding with our own and if she's really an ally.. For that I need my poster children. Steve, Gwen, Karin, and King you're all with me at the White House. Sue will assume tactical command of the JLA and Colonel Flagg will do the same here at Belle Reeve under admin support being directed by Sarge Steel."

"Understood?" Waller asked everyone and they nodded, "Then let's go."

* * *

The new, improved Batsuit transmitted Jaina's voice directly to Batman's ear without needing an external radio, _"The wind is shifting and the toxic cloud and sand is moving with it. News reports are filtering in from the surrounding areas. Most of the reporters backed off when the dozen or so were consumed by the toxin. The mummification seems authentic but I need you take a sample to transmit here for the computer to analyze it."_

"You can do that?" Batman inquired.

Jaina chuckled, _"If you and Bruce ever stopped running from me you'd find out just how fabulous I truly am. And not just because I'm a wealthy meta-human."_

"Jaina, you and White Rabbit tried to install Vandal Savage as a tyrant in control over the entire planet. I find that choice dubious at best," Batman shared.

" _Our methodologies differ but we both want the world safe and secure. You try to achieve by beating in criminal's heads one at a time. We're trying to create a safer world from the top down. Heavy handedness frequently achieves lasting results the milder form of persuasion can't ever affect,"_ Jaina explained, _"As far as Savage goes, al Ghul was insane, Luthor is in a class of megalomania all to himself, you would have refused. So Savage was a viable alternative."_

"You've run out of candidates," Batman informed her.

" _There's one or two left. You even know them,"_ Jaina offered as a clue.

"Waller," Batman realized.

" _You are the detective,"_ Jaina stated, _"The other choice is a long shot."_

"There's a squad of costumed criminals moving in where the gas has passed through," Batman reported.

" _Filtering through the news channels. Odd,"_ Jaina remarked.

"How odd?" Batman wondered.

" _They're claiming to be members of the Legion of Doom yet none of them correspond with known members,"_ Jaina told him.

"Luthor has been recruiting," Batman reminded her.

" _But in sport's terms, these are the benchwarmers,"_ Jaina advised him, _"And Lex has been fit to be tied over these louts claiming to belong to him."_

"You're still in contact with Luthor," Batman eked disappointment.

" _Girls have to have their fun,"_ Jaina was dismissive.

"I'm doing a pass through the cloud," Batman warned her, "Transmitting the sample…now."

Silence loomed while Jaina examined the properties of the sample, _"Oh my. This kills down to a genetic level. These mummies are animated by an external force. There's no going back."_

"Can electricity ionize the cloud and bond the gas molecules together and make it heavier than air?" Batman asked.

" _Testing,"_ Jaina promised.

Batman grimaced over the fact that Jaina Hudson used her meta ability to create the White Rabbit and ignore legal means to achieve their joint aims. But he did the same as well.

* * *

Libra led the Secret Society contingent but he didn't quite fathom the importance of his role. He knew Saturn Queen was plotting with the Other to discredit the Legion of Doom. To parlay the Legion's fearsome reputation to a point where global law enforcement would have no other recourse than to pit every resource into destroying the seemingly invulnerable Legion.

And elements within the Secret Society were parlaying themselves into positions with a greater internal power base. Earth-3's Alfred Pennyworth, body servant to Thomas Wayne, the Owlman, had selected the Superior Five and Axis America to liberate the incarcerated Crime Syndicate. Axis America wasn't to be confused with the similarly named Axis Amerika.

A special pod had been developed and attached to the Watchtower, the fourth space station to bear that name, and in it they held Earth-3's preeminent criminals. Axis America would hold the teleport gateway at the Metro Tower while the Superior Five invaded the Watchtower station. And then all three teams would emerge victorious.

Meanwhile Libra and the Secret Society stripped everything of marginal value from Gotham.

* * *

Bluebird descended into the sewers where she hijacked Batman's electrical subsystem. She'd renovated a portion of the system into her own private lair. It was a workshop Batman had left behind from his time beneath the streets devising the electrical augmentation and tunnel surveillance.

Harper Row's being in the sewers saved her from Disco Mummy's gases and contaminated sand bombs. But she was still terrified out of her young mind. Bluebird had seen violence in her life. From her father, street thugs tormenting her gay brother, against the weaker and infirm. But she'd never seen walking, freaking mummies before. And frankly, she didn't know how to stop them.

So she sought help. Coral City was too far away. But the Conglomerate was right across the river. And Claire Montgomery was happy to rally the troops. Roxy was more elusive but finally Bluebird persuaded her to dispatch the All Stars.

" _Ahem, pray tell, what are you looking for?"_ Roxy's on screen avatar asked.

"The All Stars?" Bluebird wondered.

" _Lemme get a look at you,"_ Roxy's eyes narrowed, _"You'd be one Harper Row, currently known as Bluebird, hiding under Gotham's streets so as to have survived Disco Mummy's gas attack. Did I leave anything out?"_

"No," Bluebird said in a strangled voice.

" _I'll have the team with you in twenty. Good enough?"_ Roxy playfully inquired.

"Good enough, I guess," Bluebird confirmed. Afterwards she wondered just who, or _what_ , that had been.

* * *

The Conglomerate rode from Manhattan to Gotham in CH-52 Pavelow helicopters. Since they were civilian analogues to military models they lacked weaponry. The lead helicopter essentially served as a decoy for the other two destined to draw fire from ground attack. But the flight was unhindered.

Red Tornado worked to clear away the mummification gases and took them out to sea. Even Batman was grateful for that effort. Vapor signaled the all clear to the helicopters and they lifted off once again.

"Mae, Sharon, Rex, and Ulla, you will join Reddy in dealing with containing these mummy forces," Vapor instructed, "The rest of you are with me as we deal with these Legionnaires."

* * *

Zinda was once again at the stick of the All Star Racer as she flew the team from Albany to Gotham. She turned to Mr. Terrific who served as her co-pilot, "Looks bad, Michael. Where do you want to set down?"

"At the Conglomerate's landing site," Mr. Terrific instructed, "And keep trying to raise Batman while you take the Racer and serve as airborne tactical support."

"Those helos have got to be the Conglomerate's rides. Pretty sweet," Zinda remarked.

"Make a low pass and I'll release T-Spheres and teleport the team to the ground," Mr. Terrific unstrapped as the former Lady Blackhawk complied.

* * *

The All Stars appeared beside the Conglomerate and caught up with Vapor's ops plan. Mr. Terrific added to it, "Sentinel, Flash, and Cyclone assist the containment team. The rest of you are on the capture team."

"I believe I shall be of more assistance to the containment unit," Anna Fortune opined.

"Do it," Mr. Terrific was learning to trust Anna's gut.

"So why would the Legion of Doom provoke all out combat in Gotham City?" Vapor wondered.

"I have no idea," Mr. Terrific admitted.

* * *

Conflict easily broke out as the combined Conglomerate and All Star forces engaged the Secret Society while still assuming the Society members were actually Legionnaires. Vapor attempted to capture the one called Silver Ghost. His touch converted her body into a silver statue.

But while he stood by and gloated, the silver exterior began to pit and melt. And Vapor's acidic mist form billowed out of it. Silver Ghost tried again but her acidic state burned him. Vapor began to surround Silver Ghost.

"Boo!" came from the cloud.

Silver Ghost ran and Vapor followed as best she could. But he diverted down a subway station and she knew his odds of taking a human shield were too high. So she reverted to her human state again red and raw looking like she'd been attacked by a dermal abrasion specialist.

* * *

Virtuoso and Angle Man acted as crowd control. Their job was to extract Secret Society members as needed and keep their enemies off of their backs. But Virtuoso spotted the Batmobile.

"Let's go after we arrange a surprise for the Bat," Virtuoso suggested gleefully.

Angle Man hated to be the man responsible for the death of her mentor, the Fiddler. That honor belonged to Batman.

* * *

Matter Master's helmet gave him limited control over simple molecular structures. So Praxis had him on a slow retreat. Unil they they reached Vapor.

Matter Master was on the verge of surrender when Angle Man opened a trapezoid shaped doorway back to Fort Siegel. Vapor was incensed, "What the hell?"

"I sense another mind retreating from our position," Praxis announced.

"Just don't stand there!" Vapor snapped, "Find him or her."

So Praxis set out to do so.

* * *

Tweedledee and Tweedledum were on their home turf in Gotham. They were former thugs in the employ of the Mad Hatter. They were also idiot savants doing a merry jig after defeating Dr. Light and Rising Sun. They saw the Batmobile swoop overhead and they beat a quick retreat. Angle Man found them by following the Batmobile's trail.

* * *

Superman had once transferred a portion of his powers to the Chinese operative now known as Super-Man. So LexCorp's Everyman Project transferred super strength from a Bizarro clone to Maxi-Man. But Captain Comet's abilities wee too diversified and Maxi-Man was discovering super strength was woefully inadequate especially when wasn't even certain of his ability to use it yet.

Captain Comet rendered him unconscious. But Captain Comet was an astronaut from the Sixties imbued power by an alien sentience. But when he'd returned to Earth decades later, Saturn Queen convinced him Earth heroes were the actual villains and her Secret Society was undercover to oppose their evil. Her super hypnotic powers sold it. So Captain Comet left Maxi-Man and sought out his own teammates.

* * *

Typhoon nearly drowned Starman with a water spout out of the Hudson River and then joined Captain Comet in his search. It was Typhoon's day to play babysitter for the time displaced captain.

* * *

Dr. Psycho submerged into his Captain Wonder persona as Wildcat approached. The elderly Steve Trevor had fantasized for years about reuniting with Diana and his talks of meeting Wonder Woman on the battlefield had garnered him psychiatric review after review. One such reviewer had been Dr. Psycho.

Using his ability to create psychokinetic constructs, Dr. Psycho combined Steve Trevor's youthful looks with Wonder Woman's power. Power even stronger than Princess Diana's because Trevor believed it to be so. But all of that was ineffective against Wildcat.

Dr. Psycho eventually fled from Wildcat, reverting back to his own appearance as a dwarf to hide from the pursuing All Star. Dr. Psycho was determined now to suck Steve Trevor's psyche dry and utilize Captain Wonder's full might.

* * *

"I willingly chose to fight you, Mr. Terrific. To pit my technical skill against yours," Libra boasted.

"I have my T-Spheres. You have a fancy stick," Mr. Terrific goaded him.

"The early work on my Cosmic Transmorgrifier was based on some designs by Ted Knight and his Cosmic Rod," Libra shared, "You'll see I went a wider direction than Ted every dreamt of."

"Riiight," Mr. Terrific skeptical now as four T-Spheres engaged Libra. "His "fancy stick" absorbed all of the energy spewed at it.

Mr. Terrific teleported in additional T-Spheres and added them his firepower. Libra absorbed all of it with his Cosmic Transmorgrifier but unleashed half of it back as he destroyed the assembled T-Spheres. According to his mask, Libra's Transmorgrifier acted like an energy sink. IT absorbed half the energy and dissipated it while storing the other half for a discharge. IT actually was quite clever.

"Care to deal with this the old fashioned way?" Mr. Terrific asked.

"I'm no brute," Libra spoke into a radio around his throat and an oddly angled doorway opened near him and he simply walked through and disappeared as the door closed.

* * *

Quakemaster had created a localized earthquake but Sand created a sinkhole around him and buried the jackhammer appearing device to disappear beneath the landslide. Sand confronted Quakemaster, "What do you have to say about all of this?"

"Nuthin'," Quakemaster signaled Angle Man and got a doorway to freedom.

Sand was left behind, "Figures."

* * *

Dr, Mid-Nite confused Skorpio with a blackout bomb. The former freelance terrorist was at a total loss of which direction to escape to. But Double Down threw his deck of magic cards and they sliced cuts all across Dr. Mid-Nite body and held him at bay while Double Down liberated Skorpio. Then the two withdrew through one of Angle Man's creations.

* * *

Atom Smasher fought both Sizematic Twins. He felt comfortable facing off with Sizematic Large but Sizematic Small was problematic. Small could shrink smaller than an insect but no further than a mote of dust. Sizematic Large could rival a thirty story building but no further. But together they were hell on wheels to cope with.

The Twins kept Atom Smasher growing and shrinking as he faced each one of them individually or together when he was his normal stature. While Large fought Al, Small climbed underneath Atom Smasher's mask and shouted into his ear. While Large beat Atom Smasher senseless, Small tore his way free from the mask. Afterwards they both escaped Gotham.

* * *

The banter and repartee of Captain Stingaree and the Cavalier revealed an open secret to Judomaster and Commander Steel. Hank Heywood III was the one to comment, "My God! They're a couple."

"And so are you two, you cad," Cavalier brandished his rapier with a flourish.

"Darlings, are we interrupting your evening?" Captain Stingaree mocked them.

"With your whole, 'loot and pillage' routine."

"Why I never loot or pillage, I rather prefer to think of my efforts as asset relocation applications," Cavalier winked at Commander Steel.

"Can I just hit him now?" Commander Steel begged Judomaster.

"Maybe later, ta ta!" Captain Stingaree waved goodbye while Cavalier called in an evacuation request.

"They got away," Commander Steel grumbled.

"But perhaps they can see the error of their ways next time," Judomaster had to have hope recalling her own tenure as a Yakuza assassin.

"Not everyone wants redemption," Commander Steel tried to console her.

"Sad but true," Sonia Sato sighed.

* * *

Sting could shrink to insect size and control the same. So he swarmed King Chimera with hornets and wasps and laughed as the young hero suffered multiple stings. Sting happily accepted Angle Man's offer of an evac and dictated to his insect minions to stay after King Chimera.

* * *

Lightning couldn't get a grasp on Jinx. Here was a bald Indian woman dressed like a 16th Century Middle Eastern hooker. Jinx threw green fire, air, and telekinetic force bolts at Lightning and Jennifer Pierce held her ground. But finally Jinx received the signal to reassemble and she simply flew off. The one power Lightning couldn't cope with or mimic.

* * *

Summer Day had transformed into the Hyena again and only Aztek's armor saved him from her savagery. Zebra-Man applied his magnetic powers and bashed Aztek all around before escorting Hyena off to other venues and an escape route provided by Angle Man.

* * *

Crazy Quilt attacked Goldilocks while Killer Moth dealt with the Shining Knight. The Killer Moth had taken the name from Vengeance Moth's uncle after the original had died in the showers at Blackgate. Like the original Killer Moth, the replacement intended to be the "Batman of Crime" but he barely put Sir Justin down even with all of his gear and gadgets.

Killer Moth fled before Goldilocks' rage at seeing her lover defeated. Crazy Quilt paid the price as Goldilocks strangled her. Goldilocks wondered why she wasn't allowed to simply kill her foes to begin with and save everyone the bother of incarcerating them.

* * *

Sabbac simply overpowered Hawk and Dove. But Black Mary nearly broke his jaw with her first punch. He tried to scoff but wasn't very confident about.

"I'm empowered by the five princes of Hell. Your benefactors serve mine. Don't you think I'll win?" Sabbac asked.

"No!" Black Mary broke his nose. He caught her next punch and the other but she still drove both fists into his face.

Then she caught his punch and crushed his "invulnerable" hand. He screamed, "Sabbac!"

A fireball took him to hell and Black Mary smirked, "That went very well."


	19. Chapter 19

7

Metamorpho tried transforming into sleeping gas but it seemed mummies were already asleep. After becoming barricades that were simply climbed over, he tried one last ditch effort. Metamorpho became a lack of acid that ate the mummified Gothamites down to simple bone.

* * *

Strange Visitor knew the mummies hadn't had any choice in their transformations any more than she had. So it was with great pity she unleashed wave after wave of energy at them, blowing bits of flesh and tendon off of the bones. She left piles of stripped clean skeletons behind.

* * *

Little Mermaid made her defense near the waterfront. Ulla took comfort in the fact the Hudson was barely less vile than the East River. But her plan was primitive but effective. She unleashed one tsunami after another at the marching mummies and battered them into bony shards.

* * *

Supergirl used her telekinetic eye blasts to shatter hordes of mummified remains. The she used her great strength to topple condemned buildings on the rest. After Matrix sought out Ulla and helped the Little Mermaid break up the last of her opponents.

* * *

Red Tornado forewent transporting bodies out to sea and instead used his vortexes to tear apart mummies. Seeing remnants still crawling and dragging themselves, he ferried those out to sea. And all the while his computerized brain kept a log of the events.

* * *

Flash raced back and forth using supersonic punches too shatter bones. After Jay Garrick had finished, he felt sick all over. There had to be a more sanitized way of defeating Disco Mummy's plans.

* * *

Sentinel scooped up an entire district's worth of mummy bodies and took them out beyond the bay. Grinding them up, he scattered their remains out to sea. Then he returned to Gotham to avenge them.

* * *

Cyclone's experience was far more dismal than Reddy's principally because she was human and he was not. Cyclone was emotionally exhausted when she'd completed her work. Maxine Hunkel was about to be overrun when Stargirl arrived.

* * *

Anna Fortune was quite perturbed that her early efforts at combating them mummy horde and the Chaos spell that animated them had failed. But given time and experience, she began reversing the effects. Granted enough time she could even defeat Disco Mummy.

* * *

Stargirl had cleared out her section with brutal efficiency. Now she saved Cyclone's life and beat back those foes as well. Cyclone was grateful and a little terrified of Courtney Whitmore.

"I think I'm going to sleep for a year," Cyclone tried to diffuse the moment.

"If King let's you," Stargiirl gidggled.

"Want? I,..uh…erm…" Cyclone was flustered now.

"It's okay, Maxine. Snugglebunnies are a benefit of relationships. See ya in a few," Stargirl flew off to join Blakc Mary.

* * *

Mayor Peter Hamilton reappointed Barbara Gordon Police Commissioner. With the GCPD and Gotham in shambles he wanted a steady, firm, and proven hand in charge. Bluebird's discovery of Ballard's complicity in Gotham's antivigilante laws also tainted his tenure as mayor…if word got out.

Barb gathered the victorious, but morally compromised, All Stars and Conglomerates, "The city of Gotham, and myself personally, would like to express our thanks for your efforts."

"I smell a 'but' coming," Stargirl quipped.

"You've all been issued emergency intervention permits," Barbara explained, "That authorized your being here. But the permits expired ten minutes ago. So I have to, with the full backing of the city administration and the police force, to ask you to quietly leave now."

"We'll be happy to leave," Vapor grunted.

"I think it's best if we limit our time here as well," Mr. Terrific said sourly.

* * *

Batman tracked Disco Mummy down with White Rabbit's assistance. She wore an insufferable smirk as he landed and disembarked, "I didn't think you'd want to do this alone."

He ignored her as he picked the lock. While she reamkred, "She's long gone, y'know."

He opened the unlocked door and White Rabbit remarked, "Very discreet. Saves on the old heart action as well."

"She can hear you," Batman growled.

"Like I said," White Rabbit shrugged, "Long gone."

"I suppose Jaina already told you what this stuff is made of," White Rabbit pointed at a gas canister and several sand bags.

"I still need to get a sampele to Wayne Enterprises," Batman grated.

"Ah, ah, you mean Wayne- _Powers_ Technologies. You're a _minority_ shareholder. You need Derek's permission to have anything looked at," White Rabbit reminded him.

"Do you have something worthwhile to add?" Batman had to ask.

"Give it to Waller," she answered.

Waller seemed to dominate Jaina and White Rabbit's minds.

* * *

"I'm already aware of Crazy Quilt's demise," Saturn Queen told Libra, "Arrange tryouts. I'm certain there's a worthy man or woman willing to take her place."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll put everyone towards recruiting," Libra dismissed himself.

Mania eyed him as he left, "He's quite yummy."

She was an Archai from Arkana Manor. Saturn Queen was recruiting members to battle the Justice League Dark, "You can persuade others to unite under my flag?"

"They'll pretend its theirs, but yes," Mania agreed.

"Go then," Saturn Queen instructed. Eve Aries wondered if Sir Justin thought of her while he bedded Goldilocks.

* * *

Angelica led the assault on NOWHERE. Red Fury and Deathblow fought beside her. Meanwhile Deathstroke led Grifter, Regulus, and Majestic as they penetrated security. Gunslinger and Sonia Cordon set up across from Angelica's attack and began a second front. With NOWHERE's security scrambling to deal with the attacks, Deathstroke's force easily carved their way towards Lynch. No alarms were even raised in the process.

Majestic tore his way through walls to enter the command center. Regulus integrated with the security systems and shut everything down. Grifter targeted the personnel in the room while Deathstroke silently studied the architecture.

"What are you looking for?" Grifter asked Slade.

"A spider hole. Men like John always have one," Deathstroke replied. He popped a hatch and there was a bunker within guarded by Deathblow.

"Shouldn't have taken the job," Deathstroke advised him.

Majestic grabbed hold of Deathblow and flew up through the ceiling to deal with him miles away. Deathstroke turned to Regulus, "Your turn, Dean."

The door to the bunker opened and Deathstroke entered to hurl John Lynch out of it. Lynch began to barter, "Cole, Dean, and Slade…We can deal."

Majestic crushed the bunker as he landed behind Deathstroke. Slade thrust his pistol barrel into Lynch's mout, "You brought my kids into it."

"And Voodoo," Grifter told him.

"Hell, you just annoyed me," Regulus commented.

"I kill women when I cum," Majestic complained.

Everyone suddenly realized there was such a thing as too much information. Lynch began babbling trying to explain about Fairchild's research into reversing meta-gene factors. Deathstroke blew the back of his skull away, "Were you saying something?"

* * *

Waller met with POTUS, "Mr. President."

"I understand you've been questioning my orders," he complained.

"Do I have good reason to?" Waller deadpanned.

"I've made an alliance with a woman name Grail," the President announced.

"And that name means what?" Waller asked.

"She's Darkseid's daughter and she wants him dead," the President began to explain.

Waller couldn't wait to hear this.

* * *

Oliver Queen was a mindless beast when he emerged from the Lazarus Pit. Afterwards he looked blankly at Black Canary but he responded to Cupid. Cupid exulted in his manic devotion. Nyssa arranged for their return to Seattle.

"Don't be insulted, Dinah. Cupid will soon learn the price of his resurrection. He will have an insatiable bloodlust that will have to be satisfied every fortnight. But he imprinted on her so she alone is safe from him. But given her instability added to his, they will because a power couple to be reckoned with amongst the criminal classes," Nyssa informed Dinah.

"You knew," Black Canary realized at long last.

"And I repeatedly tried to warn her," Nyssa reminded her.

"That's why you never offered to raise Ollie for me," Black Canary grasped, "You really do love me that much to spare me that."

"Everything I have and am, is yours," Nyssa vowed.

* * *

Barda angrily watched as Obsession petitioned to replace Plastic Man in the JLU's ranks. To her great irritation, Superman enterained the idea. Even later when he confided it was a solution designed to monitor Obsession, Barda growled in the back of her throat. A response which secretly pleased Superman.

Obsession was secretly pleased to join the ranks in order to fulfill the mission Lex Luthor had given her. In exchange for betraying the Justice League Unlimited, Luthor promised Obsession Superman's heart on a platter and Barda's head on a pike.

* * *

Almerac's war machine had come to new Krypton and trampled all over the lost Kryptonian colony of Kandor. The budding Kandorian fleet hadn't stood a chance against Ultraa's armada. And now the warlord was making a prize of the captured populace to Maxima.

In orbit overhead, Galatea watched the military traffic from an observation platform from Ultraa's dreadnought. Galatea had been Almerac's spy amongst the Kryptonians. And she transmitted the codes to their entire security net to Ultraa's forces shortly before her capture and subsequent tortures.

Galatea hadn't verbally revealed anything but her DNA revealed she was a clone of Argoan stock. This would have lasting repercussions the recuperating Galatea had no fathoming of yet. Despite being proclaimed a hero of the Almeracian Empire, the Earth-born Galatea was a curiosity to most of the Almeracian troops and a pestilence to others.

Kalea-El, the daughter of Maxima and Kal-El was her only constant companion. Kalea herself had been many things, unruly princess, upstart empress, exile, traitor, and now agent of the empire. Kalea had been born of the blood royal, heir to throne but now she wasn't even a citizen of her former empire. But Maxima had no truer or more loyal servant than her daughter. Being stripped of royal privilege had seemed ot bring out the better in Kalea and she'd pled her case not to have her sovereign rights restored.

"It seems our work isn't done yet," Kalea warned Galatea. Kalea had led the rescue operation that liberated Galatea. Despite the red sun, Kalea's Almeracian strength was equal to Princess Diana's and Kalea bore a vestige from her youth in a bionic eye, arm, and both legs. Something that most Almeracians had found repellent during her formative years.

"What do you mean?" Tea asked wearily.

"Kandor dispatched a probe ship in response ot discovering your genetic identity," Kalea informed her friend, "Our pickets missed them on Argo but they used the records there to match up with their own and have learned about Daxam…and Earth."

Kalea saw a spark of fire in Galatea's eyes at the mention of her home world, "Daxam can defend itself against a dozen troopers and an officer. Earth can't."

"Your father…" Tea weakly protested.

"Nearly lost Earth to two Kryptonian soldiers. This is thirteen," Kalea needled Tea.

"Then it seems Power Girl isn't done yet," Galatea said with far more resolution than Kalea had expected. But she was pleased just the same.

* * *

 **Author's Note: That concludes Part 22 and segues into Justice League Soldiers: DCAU Series Part 23. Slowly but surely we're grinding our way to Justice League Universe: DCAU Part 32.**

A cryptic preview of things to come:

Justice League Soldiers: DCAU Series Part 23

Justice League Downfall: DCAU Series Part 24

Justice League Resurrection: DCAU Series Part 25

Justice League Aspirations: DCAU Series Part 26

Justice League Rebellion: DCAU Series Part 27

Justice League Hallowed: DCAU Series Part 28

Justice League Black Mary: DCAU Series Part 29

Justice League Tribunal: DCAU Series Part 30

Justice League Departures: DCAU Series Part 31

Justice League Universe: DCAU Series Part 32


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